The Difference
by Star Guardian Jinx
Summary: SYOC Closed! Princess Katalina always knew she was gay, and just wants to be accepted. She loves other girls more than anything, and is elated when she gets a Selection of her own, full of women. However, not everyone is supportive of who she is, and when someone dies in the castle because they came out as gay, what's going to happen with the Selection? Former SYOC!
1. Chapter 1

**SYOC! Will only be accepted if you have a ton of detail on personality, sexuality (are they just there for the crown, or actually gay?), appearance, family, etc.! Anything you don't add, I will take creative license to fill in, so be detailed! In this fic, the caste system is still in place, so remember to write what caste they are in.**

Princess Katalina was gay. Not bi, not curious, she was one-hundred percent gay. This was mildly problematic, considering her upcoming eighteenth birthday. Her parents, Queen Aledonna and King Tyran had been speaking to her about hosting a Selection… a chance for the heiress to the throne, Katalina herself, to find true love. True love, that is, in the form of a man.

"This is ridiculous…" Kat mumbled to Alder, the blonde boy sitting on the edge of her bed.

"The Selection, or the lynchings?" Alder asked, nodding to the report Kat was sifting through.

"All of it. Everything," she grumbled, "I can't believe they expect me to have a Selection! I'm not even eighteen yet and they're already shoving it down my throat!"

"It is kind of absurd, but it's rather commonplace for Selections to occur right after the eighteenth birthday, Katty. You're only really mad because you haven't told them you're gay," Alder replied with a shrug, earning a glare from his friend.

"And what am I supposed to do, just waltz up to them and say, 'Hello Dad, hello Mom, your perfect little china doll likes ladies'?"

"You're running out of options, Kat. Your grandmother helped to legalize gay couples, so perhaps…"

"My parents are nothing like my grandparents. They're shallow and self-focused, and the country has only gotten worse under them," Kat replied, with a slight air of superiority, "I need to finish this report. Please leave, Alder."

"You can't keep denying the truth. You need to get out of the closet, Kat. And soon."

With that, Alder turned around and left Katalina's bedroom. Kat let out a sigh, for she knew her best friend was right. However, there was much too much to deal with for her to focus on her love life. Relations between castes were getting worse. Just that week in Sumner there had been three lynchings on Sevens who had been protesting for better wages. There had been riots among the Sixes who wanted better treatment in a few of the northern provinces, and the southern ones were quickly spiraling out of control. Her father wanted her to come up with solutions to the problem before the Royal Council met that night, and so far she had absolutely nothing.

"Damn it all," she grumbled, tossing the papers back onto her bed and standing up with the intent of heading down to the kitchen to get a scone. As she reached for the golden handle, she was surprised to see it turn before she touched it. She jumped backwards as the door swung open and Queen Aledonna stood before her, a reproachful snobbish look on her face.

"Daughter," Aledonna said.

"Mother…" Kat replied.

"I would've expected you to be working on the reports at this time, but apparently they weren't important enough for your attention," Aledonna stared her daughter down.

"I was, I just stood up to go get a scone."

"Scones will make you fat, Katalina. And you have to be presentable for the upcoming Selection."

"U-Um," Kat started nervously, "about the Selection-"

"Yes?"

"-well, I just wanted to say…" Kat paused, "maybe each of the Selected could have their own color theme? And it could be based on their province?"

Aledonna nodded in approval, "Good, you're focused on the important things. Just like I was at your age. Like the importance of recognizing which province to choose your husband from. I actually came to talk to you about the Selection. We plan to announce it this Friday on the Report."

Kat's eyes widened. It was Wednesday, giving her a meager day and a half to come up with a solution. Because Katalina truly was the gayest person she knew, even gayer than Alder. However, she was much too afraid of that to admit it to her parents, so instead she said, "Alright, I guess I'll just return to the files I'm to look over…"

"Good choice. Perhaps there is hope for you yet."

With that, Queen Aledonna left the room, and left Kat to her reports. Kat had never liked Aledonna. After seeing her father's Selection reruns, she knew that Aledonna was nothing more than a gold digger with gigantic breasts, a beautiful face, and a nasty attitude. Her father was not much better, having clearly eliminated girls based on attractiveness alone, not their aptitude for being a royal. Kat was much more like her grandparents, who had passed away when she was seven. An elevator had broken and fallen sixteen stories. Though it had been ruled as an accident, many had suggested that the real cause of death was foul play.

Sighing at the papers she looked over, a gnawing feeling of guilt began to creep over Katalina. She'd been rather rude with Alder, and all he was trying to do was be helpful. She promised herself she'd make a point of apologizing, as soon as she finished the papers.

-uUu-

Yvette dusted the rosy blush onto Kat's cheeks as Adina buttoned up the yellow gown she was wearing to dinner. Her younger sister, Berlin, stood next to her in a similar peach number, her maids working as diligently as Kat's.

"Now, suck your cheeks in as I apply the contour," Yvette commanded in her soft voice, and Katalina obliged.

"You're almost done," Adina told her, having finished buttoning her dress and moved on to spraying a foul-smelling concoction over Katalina's hair.

Soon both Berlin and Kat's maids had finished, bringing out two large mirrors in front of the girls. Berlin was Kat's six-year-younger carbon copy, both of their long, dark brown hair curled into ringlets and pale skin shaped beautifully, their striking green eyes framed and accentuated.

"We look so good!" Berlin cheered, "This is the most elaborate dinner outfit of this entire year, minus my birthday! I wonder why? Do you think something special is happening?"

Kat smiled at her little sister, but it was far from genuine. Berlin hadn't been informed of the upcoming Selection, and her parents planned to announce it tonight.

"You know, I have an idea of what it might be," Kat said, attempting to remain casual towards her sister, despite how much the idea of having a Selection, much more with _boys_ upset her.

"Really? What?!" Berlin's grinned stretched a mile wide, happy for a chance to be involved in something exciting.

"Hm… Adina, Yvette, you two are excused. Thank you so much for your work. Vivien and Cherry, you as well."

The four maids left the room as Berlin's excitement became nearly tangible. She loved secrets, and had a reputation at the castle for knowing everything about everyone. It was a surprise she didn't know about the Selection yet, though it _was_ still a fairly quiet affair.

"Well, first Ber, I gotta tell you something, okay?" Kat asked, to which Berlin nodded happily.

"You know how our grandparents legalized two girls and two guys to get married when they were King and Queen?"

"Mmhm, and Winnie and Renee from cooking were dating because of it too! But what does this have to do with the extra fancy outfits?" Berlin inquired.

"Wait, Winnie and Renee were dating?" Kat was a little surprised, but she knew now was not the time for her sister to go on a gossip spree, "Nevermind that. What I'm trying to get it, Berlin, is that… well, I'm gay. I like girls."

Berlin blinked twice, then her face broke into another smile, "Duh! I know nearly _everything_ that goes on in this castle. I got Alder to tell me forever ago! But don't be angry at him, after I heard the rumors I locked him into my room until he spilled."

"Wait, there are _rumors_ about me? And you locked Alder in your room? Berlin!"

Berlin's only response was to dash out of her sister's room, giggling. However, she was soon stopped as Kat called, "You still don't know what tonight's about!" causing Berlin to poke her head back into the room.

"Well, what is it about then?" she asked.

"Promise you can keep a secret, sis?" Kat crossed her arms and pretended to stare down her sister, wiggling her eyebrows, "Cuz if you can't, there's gonna be a huge punishment which might involve… tickling!"

"Don't tickle me, don't tickle me!" Berlin shrieked as her sister advanced towards her, fingers wiggling, "You know I won't spill! I never do!"

"Fine, I believe you. Come here."

"Promise you won't tickle me?" Berlin asked.

Kat laughed, "I promise, we just need to be quiet."

Berlin moved closer to Katalina, desperate to hear what exactly would be going down at the approaching dinner.

"Alright," Kat whispered, "Mom and Dad have been planning…"

"For what? For what?" Berlin interrupted.

"Shush, I was about to say! They're planning for me to have a Selection."

Berlin covered her mouth and jumped up and down in excitement, "That's so exciting! It's going to be so amazing, so romantic, so perfect! Oh, but please don't choose someone like Mom or Dad! Choose someone like _Amadeo_ …"

"Who is Amadeo?" Kat was genuinely confused, though she didn't miss the jab at their parents.

"He's from the reality TV show! I can't believe you don't know him, it's called _Staying Close to the Stefanos_!"

"Oh, I've heard of it. Aren't they a bit, I don't know, trashy?" Katalina shrugged.

"No," Berlin replied, her hands clasped together and with starstruck eyes, "not Amadeo… Amadeo is beautiful."

"Ooookay, well the reason we're dressed up all fancy is because tonight Mom and Dad plan to reveal that a Selection will happen… the thing is, they don't know I'm gay."

"But that won't work!" Berlin interjected, "You like girls, not boys! You just gotta tell them, okay? And do it tonight! At dinner!"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Ber," Kat replied nervously. Every time the idea of telling her parents she was gay came up, she felt a ball of stress and fear build up, right in the pit of her stomach, "I don't think they like the idea of their perfect media star being marred by homosexuality."

"I think you can totes get them on your side! You just gotta plan your speech right, I'll help you!" Berlin grinned, "I know exactly what to say if they want a perfect media star."

Kat sighed and shook her head, "Well, I can always decide not to do it if I don't like it. Why not?"

-uUu-

Katalina pushed the mashed potatoes around on her plate, back and forth, getting some on the green beans in the process. She had absolutely no appetite, and was quite certain that any food to enter her mouth would come right back up. The ball of nervousness and stress had only gotten worse as the night progressed, and she barely spoke a word in her family's conversation, for fear that her voice would show how she felt.

"Katalina, you are seventeen, nearly eighteen. For God's sake, don't play with your food!" Aledonna complained, "Didn't Leonarda raise you better?"

Aledonna was never active in Kat or Berlin's lives, instead hiring Leonarda to raise her. Leonarda had been the true mother to both of the girls, despite the thin biological connection that bound them to Aledonna. Luckily, there was no better woman to raise them than Leonarda. She was strict when necessary, kind at all times, and bestowed her morals gracefully upon them.

"Sorry, Mother," Kat apologized quietly, spooning a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth as Aledonna nodded condescendingly.

Kat continued to eat in silence, as the rest of her family talked. She really couldn't care less about dinner conversations, with the confession she was going to make sitting in her stomach. Half of her could not wait until the secret's weight was lifted from her shoulders, but the other half screamed that she was being a fool to even consider letting the words out of her mouth.

"Well," King Tyran began, "I see we all have finished our dinner, though some of us, Katalina, appear to have taken a bit longer."

Kat blushed as Aledonna sent her a pointed glare.

"I have a very important announcement to make regarding Katalina's situation. All staff who have served us, please do stay for this announcement."

 _Great_ , Kat thought, _more of an audience. Just what I needed._

"It is my pleasure to announce-"

"Actually, father," Kat interrupted, surprising herself and earning a deep glare from Aledonna, "I too have an announcement to make. And I would really, _really_ appreciate going first. Please."

"Alright, Kat, since this is in regards to you. But make it quick." Tyran grumbled, clearly not pleased that his schedule had been derailed.

Katalina stood up, brushing down the front of her dress. She caught Berlin's eye and was greeted with a proud grin, which she needed desperately. She then caught Aledonna's eye, and was greeted with a disgusted glare, which she really didn't need.

"Father, the idea of a Selection sounds lovely, since there is really no other solid way for me to meet suitors, but there is something I have been meaning to say for years, and is very important to me. It's also very important to the country. The country needs a leader they can relate to, and they can see in their shoes. They need a leader who is one of the people, who brings sympathy and understanding from Eights to Twos, who everyone can find some way, big or small. In our country, there are many issues we are still trying to fight, and though many of them are getting better, some of them aren't. Many LGBTQ people are still discriminated against daily, and they see no sign of it getting better anytime soon. They need an icon, someone who they can see themselves in, who they can believe is here making a difference and taking action for them. And I am ready to be that icon."

Katalina took a deep breath.

"Because, Mother and Father… I am gay."

 **Please submit girls for the selection! I need one from every province, so I need quite a few. Feel free to send in two, but that's the limit. I love hearing feedback, so tell me if you liked this, or if there is something that could be improved in the reviews! You can submit characters in the reviews OR PM me your character. Remember to give her LOADS of detail. I mean TONS. If you look at The Selection Wiki and go to the "Application" page, there's a list of questions that are on the canon Application, so I'd appreciate if you included those. Remember that I need a ton of physical information as well, so don't leave anything out. Eyes, hair, skin, height, build, etcetera. Don't leave out anything, and give her a well-rounded personality as well! (And don't be afraid to send in mean characters… every Selection needs someone!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who has submitted a character to me! You should hear back from me if it gets accepted, and remember to include a TON of detail. Like, a** _ **ton**_ **of detail. There are still sooo many spots open. One thing I forgot to mention in the last chapter was to request a province for your character to be from. I'm sure you can find a full list online, so I won't add extra space by including a list. Keep in mind that the provinces are just requests, because there needs to be one person from each. Maybe try requesting two or three in order of preference for more likelihood if you getting one you like.**

 **Also sorry if my writing has some errors, I try my best to get rid of them but no one is perfect!**

 **Remember to review if you like this story (or if you don't, I love all feedback)! And please submit a character! There are still tons of spots open, after all, there are 35 provinces.**

As Katalina cried, Alder stroked her hair. They were sitting on her bed, her head in his lap, as she wept her eyes out onto the navy blue comforter. Alder had been there every single time Kat cried, and he knew for a fact this was the worst episode yet.

"Shh… it's going to be okay," Alder whispered to her.

"No, it's really not Alder!" Kat cried, "M-My parents, they hate me! They were screaming at me after I said it. They t-told me they were so ashamed, that they c-c-couldn't believe I turned out so horribly! Maybe I did turn out h-horrible..."

"You're not horrible, not in any way. They're the horrible ones for behaving like this to you, honestly. Would you call me horrible?" Alder replied, continuing to stroke her hair.

"W-What? No… of course not!" Kat replied, her tears shocked out of her for a small moment.

"Then why would you be horrible? We're in the same boat here, Katty, and no one has ever told me I'm horrible, including your parents. And King Tyran once caught me making out with the Danish Ambassador's son," Alder smiled, "I really think they were just shocked. You should talk to them again, try to explain that this isn't a choice, and nothing about you has changed. They'll still love you."

"That's the problem, Alder…" Kat whispered, "I'm not sure if they did in the first place."

At that precise moment, there was a knock on the door, to which Alder replied, "Come in!"

In walked Yvette and Adina, Adina carrying a plate of scones and Yvette with a blanket. The two brunette maids stepped up to Kat's bed and placed their gifts upon the edge of it.

"Th-Thank you…" Kat spoke quietly. As she reached out for the blanket, she was happy to find that it was warm. She delicately picked up one of the scones, inhaling the delicious scent of blueberries that wafted from the platter. The scones tasted amazing, the most scrumptious batch she'd ever had.

"We thought you could use a pick-me-up," Adina said softly, Yvette nodding along.

"You know," Yvette began, "many of the staff were talking about how proud they were of you. How inspiring it is that a princess such as yourself can be something that so many people in this country see as a bad thing… how they think that you could really change things, Princess Katalina."

"R-Really?" Kat asked.

"Really. Princess, you have given the entire castle so much hope in less than an hour. Imagine the hope you will give the country when you tell them," Adina spoke.

"I can't tell th-the country," Kat sniffled.

"Why not?" Alder inquired, "Of course they'd accept you. There's no reason for them not to, what with your grandparents permitting it."

"I'm not sure I can..." Kat replied, shaking her head nervously, her emerald eyes still filled with tears.

"Kat, the only other option is for you to go along with the Selection," Alder said as Yvette and Adina nodded, "and we both know you'd never be happy that way. You really need to try to talk to your parents again."

And it was at that time that Queen Aledonna stepped into the room, without a knock or any indication that she was entering. However, everyone saw her immediately, for her demeanor demanded attention at all times.

"Katalina, I must speak with you. Everyone else, you are dismissed," Aledonna's snobbish nose shot up in the air as she spoke.

"Mother, you can't dismiss Alder, he's the son of one of Father's advisors. He is not a servant and this is my room," Kat said in a rather commanding voice, rapidly blinking the tears out of her eyes so she would not get chastised by Aledonna.

"It's fine, Kat, I respect the Queen and shall go," Alder replied. Kat knew that he had very little respect for the Queen's ways, particularly the fact that she had attempted to seduce his father on multiple occasions, but was thankful that he had stopped a conflict. She knew what she had said wasn't smart, but she wasn't exactly in the best mindset.

After Alder and the attendants had all left the room, Aledonna spoke to Kat sharply, "You need to work on your manners, girl. I will not have my own child talking back to me!"

"Yes, Mother," Kat whispered, not wanting to provoke the Queen.

Aledonna swallowed as though she had just taken a particularly disgusting dose of cough syrup before saying, "Your father is currently attending to his duties, but we have spoken about your… _problem_."

It stung Katalina to hear her sexuality, a piece of who she was, not a choice or some sort of disease, to be labeled as a problem. However, she dared not speak up to her mother, knowing it would only lead to more problems.

"While we talked someone came and reminded us of how it would seem if it got out that a Princess's parents were, well, not exactly fond of your situation," Aledonna huffed, "So your father and I have decided to allow the Selection to proceed with… _women_. However, any repercussions fall entirely on your shoulders, as this is not our problem at all. You will announce your interests tomorrow on the _Report_. You will have no hand in selecting the women who participate in the Selection, the majority of whom will be chosen based on their assets, with a few others thrown in to make it seem random. You will listen to our opinions on the girls, and you will behave in ways befitting of your status when the cameras arrive. Do you understand all my demands?"

Kat nodded, "Yes Mother."

"The second you go against any of what I have said, you will be married to Alder, homosexuality be damned."

Kat gulped, knowing the threat would be followed through with if she did not let her mother have her way, "I understand."

Aledonna nodded, "Excellent. Now, your father requested that after I spoke to you I would send you to his office for the meeting he is holding with his advisors about the Selection. It is mainly consisting of briefing, which you would already know if you actually paid attention, but alas, you don't. So go."

"Yes, ma'am," Kat replied, "Just one thing first… who threatened to speak out about my sexuality?"

A stone cold expression slid over Aledonna's face as she said, "Berlin."

A rush of affection for her little sister flew over Kat as Aledonna exited her room.

-uUu-

Kat straightened the twinkling tiara on Berlin's head. The _Report_ room was abuzz with the activity of everyone prepping for one of the most controversial and most exciting _Report_ s within the decade. Bright lights shone upon the set, and Kat was in the center of it. After all, this _Report_ was going to be all about her.

"You're nervous," Berlin stated.

Kat shook her head, "No I'm not."

"You always scratch your neck when you're nervous."

Kat hadn't even realized she'd been doing it, and sheepishly lowered her arm, "Okay, so I'm a little nervous."

Berlin took Katalina's hands into her own, smiling at her older sister, "It's going to be fine, Kat. There's nothing to worry about. The country is going to be sooo psyched to have a Selection, they won't even care who it's with! Besides, there's no reason for them to care. It's not their life!"

Kat smiled but the butterflies in her stomach didn't cease to flutter.

"It's going to go so perfectly, not just this _Report_ , but the entire Selection, sis! I'm so jealous that you get to have one. It's no fair!" Berlin complained, but in good nature, trying to cheer her sister up.

"Places, everyone! Princess Berlin, if you please," a _Report_ producer called out, "We're on in three!"

Berlin nodded and shot a grin at her sister before prancing over to sit with the King and Queen, placed slightly behind where Kat and interviewer Gavril Fadaye would be seated. The man was a legend on television, hosting all of the important events and programs. Ever since Kat was little he'd been hosting the _Report_ , and he didn't seem inclined to stop soon. Gavril's presence was a comfort, since it was fairly well known among the higher castes that he was married to a man. While there were certainly people who objected, it wasn't like you could refuse to watch the _Report_.

Gavril walked from where he was talking to a producer to sit next to Kat. He smiled at her reassuringly, sensing her tense demeanor, "It's very brave of you to do this. Even I've never officially come out."

"Thanks…" Kat replied nervously. She felt like curling up into a ball and hiding, not telling her deepest secrets to all of Illéa.

"It's going to be fine, don't worry," Gavril said, but mere words couldn't rid her of the sickness in her stomach.

"Alright, we're on in three… two… one!" the lead director called, snapping his fingers along with his counts. Kat sat up straight and plastered a polite smile upon her face for the cameras, her hands together in the lap of her lilac-colored dress.

"Welcome, everyone to a very special broadcast of the _Illéa Capital Report_! I'm here today with Princess Katalina Beaumont to discuss quite the exciting topic! So gather your families around that television, Illéa, because this is going to be a very exciting night!" Gavril announced, pausing for effect, "And so, first and foremost, we have Princess Katalina with a very interesting announcement!"

Katalina, feeling it to be appropriate, stood up and threw a winning smile onto her face, and said, "Thanks, Gavril! As the heir to Illéa, I've always strived to be like and understand the people. To rule a country, you must relate and help all of your subjects. I am not just here to be a figurehead, but to assist everyone. And for the past few decades, a very pressing issue has overtaken the country; there is a huge amount of discrimination against LGBT persons with zero foundation. Ever since marriage between men and women became legal, thanks to my lovely grandparents, there have been massive amounts of hate crimes towards lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, as well as crimes against open transgenders. I take these issues to heart because I, myself, am gay," Kat paused, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, "When I ascend to the throne, in however many years that may be, I will make it my priority to gain equal rights for all LGBT people. As Princess, there are still steps I can take, the first of these being… a Selection. As much of Illéa knows, my eighteenth birthday approaches in a mere three weeks. Per tradition, a Selection will occur. All houses containing single women ages sixteen through twenty will be mailed an application. Please know that there is no requirement to apply, so don't feel any pressure to if you are straight. The application will include more details about the Selection. One last thing, to anyone who wishes to harm a girl who applies to compete for my heart will be met with the highest possible punishment for their offense. Thank you Illéa, for giving me the opportunity for a Selection!"

Kat sat back down, taking a deep breath and smiling for the cameras.

"Thank you, Princess Katalina, for a brave and exciting announcement! I know I can't wait to see the Selection take place! And now, with King Tyran for the general country announcements."

Kat stood and sat back behind Gavril as the King took her place, talking about politics, taxes, and other national issues that she couldn't pay attention to. All she could think about was all of the things that could go wrong with the Selection… and a little voice in her mind hoping it would all go right.

-uUu-

"Look at him! He's _gorgeous_!" beamed Berlin, pointing to the cover of a magazine with the words _Alexandre Starre Comes Clean About His Breakup_ printed on it.

"He's alright, I guess," Kat replied.

They were laying on their stomachs on Katalina's navy blue bed, Berlin reading a magazine and Kat reading a report on the financial status of the embassy in Germany. She didn't really understand why she had to study something so trivial, besides her father wanting her to be doing something.

"No way, he's such a hunk," sighed Berlin, "Look at those piercing blue eyes, chiseled cheekbones, he's a huge bundle of man-candy. Is it possible for a princess to request a celebrity to come to the castle? I mean, he's single now after all!"

"Yea, single and twice your age. You're _twelve_ and this guy is at _least_ twenty-four," Kat commented, poking her sister's shoulder.

"A girl can dream!" Berlin giggled, and the two of them returned to their separate papers, quiet for a few minutes.

"Thank you for persuading Mom and Dad about my sexuality," Kat murmured, "but you do realize that what you did was basically blackmailing?"

Berlin blushed, "I didn't expect you to find out… but besides, I've blackmailed people before."

"That's really not a good thing, you know. I'm fairly certain people see you as the troublesome Beaumont," Kat mused.

"The troublesome ones have more fun. Did you know that a bunch of the staff in this castle are _afraid_ of me?" grinned Berlin, her eyes alight with mischief.

"I'm really not surprised. You know literally everything that goes on, and you aren't afraid to use that knowledge for less than genuine causes," Kat frowned.

"I wouldn't say convincing the King and Queen to let you be who you are is a 'less than genuine cause,'" Berlin replied, sticking out her tongue.

"The King and Queen?" questioned Katalina, "Not Mom and Dad?"

Berlin's smile faded, and she shrugged, "Slip of the tongue."

Kat thought for a moment about her parents, and about her sister, "They don't really pay much attention to you, do they?"

Berlin frowned, looking at her magazine, the floor, the wall, anything but Kat, "I guess not. Not unless I cause trouble. Mother usually just chastises me, and Father always seems too absorbed in his duties. It's probably different for you though, being the heir and all."

Kat shook her head, "It's the exact same, Ber. I feel as though Leonarda was more of a mother to us than Aledonna will ever be."

"I miss Leonarda. She was the best governess ever," Berlin pouted.

"It's not her fault she got reassigned to that one actor family in Belcourt. We grew too old for a governess," Katalina said with a shrug, "Besides, I thought you didn't like her! You were always complaining about how strict she was."

"That doesn't mean I didn't like having someone around to care for me," Berlin muttered, biting her lip, "I know we have all of these maids, but none of them care about _me_ , as a person, not as Princess Berlin Beaumont, who they must take care of."

"I understand, Ber. I get that too," Kat frowned, draping her arm across her sister with a sigh, "But that's the way things are for us. We're princesses."

"I know," Berlin said, "Just sometimes I wish I was normal."

 **Thank you so much for reading The Difference! Please please please submit a character, I have a few already but there are a ton more necessary. If you want to but feel better with a chart, here's one you can submit in the Reviews or PM me!**

 **Name:**

 **Age (Between 16-20):**

 **Caste:**

 **Province (Please list 3 in order of preference):**

 **Eye color:**

 **Hair color:**

 **Other physical traits:**

 **Outfit style:**

 **Sexuality (goes hand in hand with motivation):**

 **Motivations (is she here for the crown or for Kat's heart?):**

 **Personality:**

 **Job:**

 **Flaws:**

 **Family:**

 **Backstory:**

 **Other:**

 **If you think I missed anything in the chart, feel free to add it in. Thanks! The actual Selection will be starting very soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again, thanks to everyone who has submitted a character. Remember you can submit two (but no more). If you haven't submitted someone but have made it this far in the story please please please do! I love how unique and special every character is, and I have no intentions to make a character I've created win. That means someone who submits a character** _ **will**_ **have that character win.**

 **Also side note the little -uUu- scene change thing is supposed to look like a crown.**

Kat was wearing one of her favorite gowns, a pastel ombre number which began as a sunset pink at the top, transitioned into a light lilac then faded to a pale turquoise. Her dark brown hair was pulled into an elaborate braided updo, with a tiara perched at the top. Her makeup was immaculate and dramatic, playing off of her gold-toned jewelry. Her nails had been painted ombre to match her dress, and she wore nude heels that added to her height. Next to her, Berlin wore a green dress the color of her eyes, with a collar inlaid with emeralds.

"What flavor is the cake?" Berlin inquired, her big eyes staring up at Kat.

"Asking the important questions, aren't we?" Katalina joked in response, "There will be three. One's an ice cream cake with caramel and yellow cake, one's chocolate with buttercream frosting, and one is cheesecake with chocolate drizzled on top."

You could practically see Berlin's mouth watering. She really, really, _really_ loved birthdays. Quite a few people at birthday parties started gossipping when drinks were passed around, and she was a perfect eavesdropper. However, it was not only the gossip that made her love birthday parties. She loved giving gifts, and had a knack for choosing exactly what the person wanted, which secured her an invite to even the most exclusive parties. And cake. Berlin _loved_ cake. If she could, she'd marry cake. Well, if no celebrities were available

"We should get going, Ber. It's nearly four-forty and Mom wanted me there fifteen minutes early for the entry."

"Exactly as we've been saying, Your Highness and Your Highness," one of Berlin's maids said.

Berlin pouted, "Fine. Let's go, Kat."

They exited Berlin's room, which they had been preparing in. As they walked down the hallways towards the ballroom, all of the servants they passed seemed to be extraordinarily frantic. Kat knew it was all for her birthday party, which made her feel horrible. She didn't really want a big fuss for her birthday, just maybe to actually spend time with her parents for once, and at least pretend to act like a family. However, Aledonna had other plans, per usual, exploiting her daughter for the cameras.

The party was supposed to be a surprise, but Aledonna wanted it to be perfect, so Kat's reaction couldn't be left to whim. She was to be led in by Berlin, wearing a blindfold and everyone was going to yell 'Surprise' when it was removed. She was going to act surprised, seem delighted, smile for the cameras, and be the perfect heir to the nation.

Berlin and Kat arrived at the entrance to the ballroom, where an attendant waited with a blindfold. Without a word, he handed the maroon piece of material to Berlin. She, in turn, stepped behind Katalina and stretched up on the tips of her toes to tie it around her eyes.

"This is gonna be _so_ fun!" Berlin cheered, practically glowing with excitement.

"For you, maybe," Kat replied, "But you get to enjoy the party. I'm going to be doing interviews, talking to every single guest, shaking hands, etcetera."

"But you get gifts! And you're gonna absolutely adore mine, I promise!" Berlin beamed.

Hearing the click-clack of footsteps nearby, the blindfolded Kat turned towards the sound.

"It's time for her entrance," she heard a girl, her maid Yvette, say, "Princess Berlin, please guide her in. Jeffrie, we really must get to the kitchen, they're almost out of scones."

The two servants could be heard exiting as Berlin grabbed Katalina's hand, "Ready, sis?"

Kat nodded in response, and opened the door to the ballroom, Berlin pulling Kat in.

"Where are we going, Ber?" Kat acted.

Berlin just giggled and ripped off the blindfold, to which the entire room of well-dressed people shouted, "Surprise!"

Kat feigned shock, "Oh, wow! All of this? For me?"

The humongous room was decorated with hanging chandeliers twinkling with rare gems, circular tables with navy blue (her favorite color) cloths hanging over them, beautiful white jasmine centerpieces and in the middle of the ballroom was a space to dance. In the back of the room there was a buffet full of diverse food producing an enticing aroma, and next to the buffet was a pile stacked taller than Katalina with gifts. In the corner was a classical orchestra, all dressed in black to not be noticed.

As the cheering subsided, people rushed to Kat to shake her hand and make introductions, Ambassadors and officials from all across Illéa trying to make a lasting impression on the princess, however only the first few got to introduce themselves immediately; it would be very impolite to have everyone crowd around her immediately.

"Hello, Your Highness. I'm Ambassador Charlson Corkeburg of Midston. It's so very lovely to meet you, again. We met at the Spring Gala, I'm sure you remember," a red-haired man with a rather twirly moustache.

"Of course, it's wonderful to see you again. Thank you for coming!" Kat smiled politely, doing a great act of seeming interested in everyone's trivial conversations.

Ambassador Corkeburg moved on and another government official replaced him with a similar conversation devoid of interest. When Kat finally got a break she made her way over to the buffet and picked up a cinnamon bonbon, popping it into her mouth. She noticed Yvette switching out an empty pastry plate for a full one of chocolate muffins, and called her over.

"Yvette, please have a bath waiting for me when the party is over. And painkillers for my headache. Oh, and please use the new lavender bath bombs we got, I love those," Kat said to her, rubbing her temples.

"Of course, Your Highness," replied Yvette with a bow.

Yvette walked away, presumably back to her duties, and Katalina was soon again engulfed in conversation with the many officials gathered at her party, dancing with some of them and pretending to enjoy the intense and draining social event.

After a particularly rough dance session with the son of one of the King's advisors, who had let off a particularly distressing remark about how he was sure he could fix her 'predicament' if he had one night in bed with her, Aledonna walked up to Kat and informed her the cakes were going to be wheeled in soon. Kat thanked her mother, frowning behind her back at her outfit choice. Aledonna had worn a skintight white dress with V neck that dived deep to just above her belly button. It was entirely inappropriate, but entirely Aledonna. Her sandy blonde hair had been tied up in a ponytail at the top of her head, and curled into oblivion. As she was headed over to the cakes, a pretty violinist from the orchestra who was on break stopped her.

"Hello, um, Your Highness. I'm sorry, I know I'm not supposed to talk to you, but I really need to thank you for coming out. I'm also gay and you have just… inspired me so much, you don't know how much it means to me," the violinist, a lovely looking girl with cocoa-colored skin and strikingly dark eyes were glimmering with tears.

"Thank you," Kat replied, touched, "It means a lot to hear that. What is your name?"

"O-Oh, um, I'm Taliyah," she replied, "I need to get back to my violin, I'm on break right now but my shift's almost up."

Kat nodded, "Please go ahead, I'd hate to get you in trouble."

Taliyah walked about with a look that could only be described as 'fangirling,' leaving Kat elated. This made everything worth it. Her parents shame and people of the country calling her disgusting, it was okay. Kat knew there were other girls out there, just like her, who maybe, just maybe, were starting to feel normal.

Kat walked up to the center cake, the cheesecake with chocolate drizzle, as the King and Queen stepped on either side of her to the other cakes, announcing to the room that the cutting of the cake was to occur. Kat beamed as she sliced into the cake, synchronised with her parents, not thinking about her birthday, but thinking about the girls she had touched with her announcement. As everyone lined up for cake, Kat retreated to the back of the room with her piece, happy something had taken the attention off her for a second, where she watched Berlin grab two slices of each type and wondered how that girl's metabolism kept her so skinny. She smiled to herself as she ate her slice of cake, enjoying the delicious flavor spreading through her mouth. The cheesecake was amazing, by far her favorite type of cake. The chefs at the palace were quite amazing at it, seeing as every birthday of her life she had requested for it to be made.

"May I have a dance, Princess?" an annoying looking boy inquired, interrupting Katalina's cheesecake-filled haze.

"Of course, good Sir," Kat replied, passing her plate off to a nearby attendant and taking the boy's arm out to the moderately-filled dance floor.

The boy was an excellent dancer, guiding Kat elegantly across the floor, every step filled with intent and grace. Despite the fact that she'd much rather be dancing with a woman, she did find the dancing quite enjoyable.

"Forgive me, Sir, but I do not think I quite remember your name," Kat spoke conversationally, feeling guilty that she didn't know her excellent dancing partner's name.

"Talon Elisono," the boy smiled. Talon had curly auburn hair with hazel eyes, and he would be any girl's dream, if she weren't gay. In fact, Kat had seen a couple of girls, including Berlin, eyeing him throughout the night.

"I recognize the name, but could you perchance remind me of from where?" asked Kat, speaking carefully as not to offend him in the chance that he was important.

"I've been in the news a few times, I'm the first Five to gain my way up to being a Two," Talon smiled with an air of nonchalance, twirling Katalina to the music.

"Wow! That's incredibly impressive. What's your talent?" Kat smiled, happy for his luck.

"I'm a dancer, which is rare for most male Fives, and I have a real knack for it. My half-sister plays lovely violin and we'd entertain go on as the opening act to many operas. She's still a Five though, but I'm sure if she wanted to she could buy herself up. She likes it the way she is," Talon grinned, "Taliyah's actually here today, with the orchestra."

"Taliyah? I think I met her," Kat was surprised to realize the girl who had touched her so much earlier was Talon's sister. They didn't look much alike at first glance, but she could see their relation when it was pointed out to her. Despite their skin color differences, which could possibly be attributed to him calling her his half-sister, their face shapes, noses and lips looked very similar.

"Really? I know she is quite the fan of yours," Talon seemed incredibly happy that his sister got to meet Kat, knowing Taliyah's love for her, "But I didn't ask to dance with you just to talk about my sister. I have a question about something I heard about a man who is a friend of yours, Alder Elderwood."

"Ask away, Sir Elderwood and I are very close," Kat replied, not sure she was going to answer the question. She would never give something private of her friend's out to a stranger, so she was prepared to lie.

"Well, Your Highness, I've come across him quite a few times through my performances, and he's always been very pleasant. I know you can understand where I'm coming from when I say it can be hard to ask about people's… preferences. You see, Your Highness, I'm gay, and I was wondering if Alder- I mean Sir Elderwood is too," Talon said, his pale cheeks filling with a blush.

Despite not wanting to give out Alder's private details, the opportunity to help him find romance was too good to resist, "Yes, he is," Kat smiled, "but you didn't hear it from me. I'm not sure he would appreciate me saying this, but if you're as interested as you seem it's important for you to know."

Before Talon could reply, the song ended and with it their dance. Talon thanked her and walked away as she was swept up in many other significantly less interesting waltzes. After one dance with a guy who kept stepping on her feet, she felt skinny arms wrap around her from behind, and heard a giggle.

"Hello, Berlin," Kat turned around, happy to have an excuse not to begin another dance, "What do you need?"

"It's present time!" Berlin cheered, breaking out in a toothy grin, "Mother sent me over to tell you after your dance with Mr. Quincy finished. And she said that you could open mine first."

Kat smiled adoringly at her sister, "Well, saving the best for last is for try-hards."

"C'mon, Mother's going to make the announcement soon," Berlin took Kat's hand and led her to the present pile, "Mine's the wide, flat one."

Berlin was pointing to a large, flat rectangle near the front of the preset stack, as Aledonna called out announcing that it was time for presents to be opened. Kat liked present, sure, as anyone did, but she hated opening them at celebrations. It all felt very greedy and like a waste of time, but it didn't stop her from being excited to open Berlin's.

Berlin walked up to the pile and bent down to grab her present, which was taller than she was and wrapped in navy blue paper with a gold cross and bow. Though she struggled to carry it, when she handed it to Kat she had a smile as wide as the moon and as bright as the sun. Everyone at the party, knowing Berlin's excellent gift-giving skills, hushed down to see what exactly her present was. Katalina carefully opened it, making sure not to rip any of the paper. What she saw touched her heart.

Berlin had painted a lifesize portrait of her and Katalina, standing in an orchard full of cherry blossom trees and holding hands. In the picture they both wore matching pink ballgowns and tiaras with crystalline white gems. She knew Berlin had been working to improve her painting skills, but she didn't realize how good she had gotten. In the corner of the framed canvas, in small gold letters the words 'For The Best Sister Ever' were written.

Kat carefully set down the painting and hugged her sister, "It's perfect. It's beautiful."

"I knew you'd love it! I worked for months on it," Berlin grinned, "Happy June 7th! Happy Birthday, sis!"

However, the touching moment was cut short by a female scream of pure terror from outside the ballroom. As everyone was silent to witness the touching moment between sisters, the shout was projected that much more. Guards from the edge of the ballroom ran towards the scream, and out the ballrooms doors. Soon, their shouts of shock began to echo as well, and the guests began to flock towards the noise.

Needing to know what was going on, Kat turned to her sister, "Stay here."

"But-"

"No buts."

Kat followed the flock of people, pushing through the crowd with mumbled 'Excuse Me's. As she exited the ballroom and pushed passed the final row of guests, what she saw elicited a cry of shock from her too.

The beautiful violinist Taliyah was collapsed on the floor, a knife in her stomach with the words 'God Hates Fags' over her, written in what looked like blood. Bile rose to Kat's throat and she felt incredibly dizzy. The last thing she saw before she collapsed was Talon breaking through the crowd and shouting what sounded like a muffled, "My sister!"

 **If you thought the only plot of this would be the Selection, you were very wrong! Please-please-please-please submit characters to me! I love getting them, and most if not all will be accepted. Remember you can submit two! Don't worry, no Selection candidates will die (unless you state in your form that you want her to die because of this). Thanks for reading! -Jinx :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/submitted a character! It makes me super happy to see a new review or a new PM'd character when I get on! There are still more SYOC spots, so please submit!**

 ******* _ **DESPITE THE ACTUAL SELECTION STUFF STARTING IN THIS CHAPTER, THERE ARE STILL SPOTS WHICH I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE BEING FILLED AND NO WINNER HAS BEEN DECIDED YET*****_

 **Also if your character doesn't appear yet, don't worry. If I've replied and said that the character has been accepted, they will definitely appear soon.**

If there was one thing that the castle excelled at, it was a good cover up. All the guests were informed (and in the process, intimidated) that they were required to not say anything to anyone about Taliyah's death. All reporters at the party were bribed with a ridiculous amount of money to only run stories about the festivities, not the murder, and the entire Elisono family was given two weeks of stay at the castle to host the funeral, which was to be a very private affair. Kat herself had extended the offer to pay for the funeral, not to cover up the death, but because she knew how much the family was hurting. She had even had Adina and Yvette custom sew the outfits of the family. She personally had organized the funeral, and as she sat in the back row of the chairs, she found it very hard not to weep for the girl who she had spoken to once. Guilt crushed Kat from all corners, spun with worry and doubt. There had been no leads in the murder, and if someone had gotten away with it at her high-security party, what could happen during the Selection? She didn't want to risk the lives of innocent girls for a selfish purpose.

However, two very important conversations had set in stone Kat's choice to continue with the Selection. After Taliyah's death, Kat stayed in her room for the next day. She knew, of course, that that was terrible behavior for an heir, but she felt as though she physically could not move. It was as though the guilt and tragedy from the murder was all piled on top of her, pinning her down. How was she to go on with the Selection knowing that someone could be hurt? If an assailant could get into the castle on such a high security day as her birthday party, it seemed probable that it could happen again during the Selection. If someone were to die, it would be all her fault.

It was in this pit of misery that Berlin came to Katalina's room. At first she knocked on the door, the light rap-rap shattering the dead silence Kat had been lying in. When Kat did not answer, Berlin simply opened the door. Unlike Adina, Yvette, or even Alder, who had all tried to strip Kat of her silent, unmoving haze by talking to her and trying to bargain with her, Berlin simply sat down on Kat's bed and laid with her. She seemed to know that what Kat needed was not someone to pressure or push her, but to just be there with her. To comfort her without words. Kat would talk when she was ready to talk, but Berlin seemed to know there was no speeding up the process. Despite how little Kat had talked to Taliyah, she felt like she knew her. Because really, in a nation so prejudiced, Kat knew that her story was reflected everywhere, in all of the lonely gay girls. The acceptance of those around the person depended on the individual, but otherwise it was much the same. The feeling of knowing Taliyah, and the fact that the reason she was dead was most likely because of coming out to Kat destroyed her. If she hadn't had that party, if she had behaved like a lady of her position and not talked to Taliyah, if she had this, if she had that, the girl would not have died.

Kat lay on the bed with Berlin next to her for hours, trapped in a cloud of toxic thought before finally speaking just one word. "Why?" she asked.

Berlin's nervous green eyes flickered to her sister's face, trying to assess what was only emptiness, "Well... well, I think they were trying to scare you," she spoke softly, as though to a wounded animal, "I think they don't like the Selection, and they want to stop it, so they're doing this crazy act to stop it… to try to stop the acceptance you're starting. And I think if you stop… if you cancel the Selection, and give into this monster then every single gay little girl and boy out there is just going to feel even more hurt and keep getting pushed into the corner."

Even though Kat didn't want to hear it, and every bone in her body told her to give up and don't let anyone else get hurt, the little voice in her head told her Berlin was right. If she stopped the Selection to protect the girls, she would only hurt them more. She had to keep going.

"It's my fault," Kat said in a croaky whisper, after a few minutes of silence.

"How?" Berlin raised her eyebrows.

Kat looked away from Berlin, "She came out to me… someone must have heard, and… and th-then."

"Katalina," Berlin frowned, using the name she rarely used, "It's no way your fault. It's the bigoted monster who did this whose fault it is. She probably was happy to have told you and be accepted, think of who you are. Actually, I was talking to her brother… I feel bad, but I forget his name, um… well, he said she was such a fan and must've died happy knowing she got to meet you."

"Talon," Kat muttered, "His name's Talon."

"Yeah, Talon. Well, Kat, the point is that you can't give up on the Selection. The country needs this," Berlin squeezed Kat's hand, "and if you do, you'll always regret it. I know you, and I know you want to run and hide so you don't hurt anyone, but even more people will be hurt if you do."

And so Berlin left, leaving Kat feeling better, and certainly more determined. She couldn't give up, not now. Not just for her, but for the prejudice-filled country.

This was the first of the very important conversations that convinced her to keep the Selection going. The other one occurred soon after the funeral, and in fact Kat was still wearing her black dress. It was all black, of course, and went up to her neck in lace. It fell to her knee, and had no sleeves. She was staring at herself in her floor length mirror, her green eyes looking empty and red, and her dark brown hair tangled. Her pale skin looked paler and her slim body seemed sallow and weak. She looked a mess, over a death of a girl she barely knew. About only half an hour after the funeral ended, Adina knocked on her door to tell her that King Tyran had requested her presence. She merely nodded and shuffled down the hall and up the stairs to the king's office, not really noticing what went on around her, caught in a haze. When she entered her father's office, the old man sat stroking his bushy brown beard and mustache, looking through some papers.

"Ah, Katalina. You're here. Please, take a seat," King Tyran said, addressing the chair in front of his desk.

"What was it you wished to talk to me about, father?" Kat inquired, getting straight to the point.

"Well you see… after the unfortunate incident with Miss Taliyah, your mother and I have talked and we believe it might be best for you to call off the Selection," Tyran leaned forward, locking his fingers together and resting his elbows on the desk, "We don't want to endanger any civilians by bringing them here, and there's already quite a bit of resistance throughout the country."

Kat blinked, taking in what her father was saying. Rarely did he even talk to his daughter, preferring to send attendants with tasks for her to do.

"So, the Selection shall be called off, yes," Tyran nodded to himself.

Kat blinked again, before speaking with intent, "No."

"What, child?"

"I said no. If you're worried about security, on the next draft pull more soldiers to the castle and specifically train them for the Selection. Add to the force, train harder, and change security passwords more frequently. Heavy background checks can occur throughout the castle, as well as on the Selection contestants. As for the country, we need this. This Selection is such an important step in what your parents tried to do. All the protests just mean we need it more, people need to understand that this is normal, that _I'm_ normal. If we cancel now, homophobia will only swell. Please, father, this is so necessary," begged Katalina.

"But-"

"And if you cancel it now, I'll make sure the press knows that this was not my decision," Kat spat.

Tyran blinked, his mouth twitching in annoyance, "You can't just go to the media like that. Not only would that harm the nation, you'd be backstabbing your own family!"

"Funnily enough, that's exactly what you'd be doing if you canceled the Selection."

And so Kat stood and left her father with a shocked look on his face. Her anguish and hurt didn't need this right now, and she wouldn't let her prejudiced father take advantage of that fact. After this and her conversation with Berlin, she knew what the country needed, despite how afraid she was, and how much pain she was in. She could never stop the Selection when the country needed it so much. Kat walked up to the castle post center and ordered a speedup on the delivery of the Applications. This was happening whether or not King Tyran wanted it.

-uUu-

"Will you do it with me?" the girl with sandy blonde hair asked, her shaggy bangs hanging over her eyes, "Please?"

"Luna, you know I'm straight," her best friend, Fleur, replied with a laugh.

"I can't go alone," the other girl mumbled, her gaze dropping to the ground, "I'm too afraid."

"Get Sol to go with you. I'm sure he would," Fleur smiled, patting her friend reassuringly on the shoulder.

Luna shook her head, "I tried. He's busy. Please?"

Fleur shrugged, "Alright. There's no way they'd pick me over someone as great as you, Lun, so I guess I'll go."

-uUu-

"Oh my god, you _have_ to, Tati!" Haddie grinned at her friend, "You're the gayest person I know!"

Tatiana frowned at the ground, "Haddie… don't say that so loud," she mumbled softly.

The two Sixes had met through work, when Tatiana was fourteen and Haddie sixteen, and Haddie was hired to clean the house of the Threes Tatiana nannied for. Haddie was the only one who knew she was gay, and always worked to boost her best friend's admittedly low self esteem.

"I can't come out… I could lose work, and my parents need me. And what if my parents didn't accept me? You know they've been trying to set me up with so many boys recently… they want me to marry up at least one caste," Tatiana shrugged.

"You know that they'd stop if you just came out."

"I can't, Haddie, I keep telling you… I'm too scared," Tatiana frowned at the conversation they'd had many times before.

"Maybe not now, Tati, but soon. I know you have it in you," Haddie squeezed Tatiana's shoulder, "Anyways, I gotta go. Got another cleaning duty in about thirty minutes. Seeya, girl."

"Seeya…" Tatiana mumbled as Haddie walked away, and began the trek to her work.

-uUu-

Lysa Pinegrove smiled for the camera, the brilliant white light flashing in her face, making it hard not to blink. The photographer told her she could go, and she stood up and thanked him before walking out the door. She'd done it. She'd apply to be in the Selection. When her mother, who had lived through one of these, took her to the City Hall she'd stated that the line was shorter than back when she'd watched a Selection, but it wasn't surprising. The percentage of gay girls to straight ones was very imbalanced. Her mother had said it would increase her chances of getting in, pushed her into a chair and pounded her face with makeup, and then handed her her already filled out application and drove her off to apply.

"Shouldn't it be my choice?" Lysa asked, her arms on her hips.

"Nonsense. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, not just for you but for our whole family. Think of how few girls are going to apply, and then you just have to win the Princess's heart," Harpra Pinegrove waved her hand as though it was a small matter, "You could lift us all to being Ones. _Ones_. We'd be royalty. So no, you don't have a choice."

But Lysa really needed a choice. It wasn't that she was straight, no, far from it. Lysa loved another girl, a girl back home, more than anything in the world. That wasn't something she planned to give up, Selection be damned.

 **If you haven't submitted a character but like the story, please do. I still need more! In the next episode, the actual beginning of the Selection will occur so if you have specific requests for the makeover for your character tell me. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for all the support in the reviews! It makes me so happy to see a new review on the story and it's what motivates me to keep writing!**

 **You can still submit characters btw, and you can submit up to 2!**

As the King's advisers bounced their ideas off each other rapidfire debate style, Kat lifted her fingers up to her temples and tried to massage the headache out of her skull. Sitting around a large round table, the argument was currently about where to bestow money; schools or government facilities? Kat favored schools, as that would affect the people more, but had learned her place in these discussions was to sit back and watch. She hated not be able to voice her opinion, but she feared her father's retribution more. Though she rarely saw him enough to see him angry, when he was it was loud and extreme. Kat's thoughts danced back to the night she'd told her parents she was gay, how her father had shouted and shook and thrown his glass at her, which barely missed. Shuddering at the reminder of just how not okay her parents were with her, she turned her attention back to the discussion.

"So naturally, the money belongs towards the government buildings of the provinces," finished Reice Byrrel, one of the King's most trusted advisors. He was also a _huge_ snob, and Kat resented him.

King Tyran stroked his facial hair softly, looking between all of his advisors, before nodding to himself, "Yes, that does seem to be the best option, then. The money shall go to the government in the provinces. Now, I believe that concludes this meeting?"

Percey Bellington, Byrrel's assistant and notekeeper for the discussions, nodded, scribbling away on his cream-colored notepad, "Yes, Your Majesty, Sir, those are all of the discussions for today," he contributed nervously.

The King nodded, and then boomed authoritatively, "This meeting is hereby adjourned."

Everyone in the room stood up to leave, some stretching out their backs, some lingering a bit to talk to other advisors about the matters they had discussed that day. Katalina stood up, dusting the front of her shimmery gold dress down as she stood, and made to walk out of the meeting room. However, as she approached the door, she felt and hand on her shoulder and spun around to face Byrrel with a rather sour look on his face, Bellington standing right behind him attentively.

"May I speak with you, in private?" Byrrel asked, his eyes narrow.

Wondering if private included Bellington, Kat raised an eyebrow, "Sure, though what, might I ask, do you wish to speak to me about?"

"That is, in its nature, private, Princess," Byrrel parried, "Percey, you may go. Head back to my office, for now."

Bellington nodded, as Byrrel began to walk out the door. Kat realized that she was probably meant to follow, and walked behind him through the halls to a rather secluded end of the floor. There were no staff in sight, and Kat began to feel rather nervous.

"Princess Katalina Beaumont. A homosexual," Byrrel spun around, practically spitting ice through his words.

"Er…" Kat managed, fear creeping into her senses, contracting her stomach with nervousness.

"It is absolutely disgusting the way you behave, expecting the country to offer up perfectly safe, pure girls for your disposal. It makes me sick, and I know it makes other people sick. So, absolutely disgusted. I wish you were never born, Princess Katalina. And I want you to know that. I don't want you to think you're living in some sort of safe space now, because you're not. So many people in this castle alone are made to vomit at the sight of you. We will not question you, because, at least at this current moment, you are of higher standing than me. But, this does not mean it is acceptable," Byrrel glared. And with that, he spun on his heel and walked away, leaving Katalina's head spinning with hurt, fear, and questions.

-uUu-

"It wasn't him."

Alder and Katalina laid together on Kat's bed, on their stomachs. Alder's hands were extended on the comforter, towards Kat, as she painted his nails in a shimmery reflective navy color, her favorite one.

"But don't you see how suspicious this is? He corners me in an abandoned hallway and tells me that gay people make him sick and then tells me that I'm literally not safe here!" Kat argued, gesturing so wildly with her hands that Alder withdrew his as not to mess up his manicure. "Someone in this castle murdered, _murdered_ Taliyah, simply on the fact that she was gay, and Byrrel comes along and presents us with his _motive_ for killing her!"

"Yes, which is exactly why he didn't, Kat. Why would he just tell you it?" Alder rolled his eyes, blowing on his nails, "Kat, I know you're really upset right now. So many of us are. But you can't just go throwing accusations around. Byrell may be bigoted, but he's much to smart to just out himself like that if he had done it."

"Gimme your hand," grumbled Kat, returning to his nails, "and if he really is such a bigoted idiot, then I wouldn't be surprised if he let it slip like that!"

Alder shook his head, "He may be a bigoted idiot, but he's a damn cunning bigoted idiot, which is what got him to be an advisor in the first place."

"Top coat done," alerted Kat, "Blow on 'em. And he's not really that smart!"

"I disagree, he's the top dog of the advisors, _and_ has his own personal assistant. _Gorgeous_ personal assistant, mind you. Curly-haired brunettes kill me every time," he swooned.

"Yes, because the straightest person in the castle's assistant is _definitely_ gay."

"A boy can dream, Kat, a boy can dream," Alder grinned, and Kat laughed, "Speaking of romantic dreams, Miss Selection Queen, when are all your candidates being announced?"

"Tomorrow, I'm so nervous. Aledonna is handpicking them apparently, which means they're all going to be important, or throwaways from low castes. I'm worried that she'll end up running the Selection and not me," Kat frowned.

"Kat," Alder said in between blowing on his freshly polished nails, "you don't have to do everything she tells you. If you find a girl you really like, keep her around."

"Yeah, and get a good yelling at," Kat rolled her eyes, "Aledonna's crazy. I just think it's funny how she's so insistent on me getting some high-standing lady while she was just a three with big boobs using it to her advantage."

"I mean, Tyran had to at least felt some feeling for her besides her looks to marry her," Alder said, not really believing his words.

"They're both shallow. Every time I've watched reruns of their Selection I can only see him eliminating them by rank of sex-appeal. It's disgusting and objectifying, honestly."

Alder nodded, and glanced down at his nails, "You know, I can see why you love navy so much. This manicure is gorgeous. I might just have to wear a matching suit tomorrow."

Kat burst into laughter, "Alder, you are _so_ gay."

He poked her, "Yea, because you're one to talk."

"Definitely," Kat replied with a grin, "Now, it's your turn to paint mine. My dress tomorrow is going to be gray, inlaid with rainbow-ombre gemstones. I want nails to match."

"Ombre nails? This is going to take forever, Kat!" Alder complained, sticking out his tongue.

"Then I guess you need to get started."

-uUu-

Kat watched from her window on the second floor as Taliyah's casket was loaded onto the carriage. Maybe it was an old tradition, but carrying a casket that was felt somehow classic, as though it was not about to be loaded into airplane storage and shipped off to the nearby province of Fennley, where Taliyah's family was from. She brushed a tear off her cheek. It didn't feel like she had a right to cry over this girl who she had spoken to once, but her body was on a different path than her mind. Talon and his parents trailed behind the casket-carriers, Talon's face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with sobs as he walked next to his mother and father. Trailing behind them was another man, of darker skin, who she realized must have been Taliyah's biological father. She remembered Talon mentioning them being half-siblings. His shoulders were hunched over and he looked frail, clearly still tormented over Taliyah's death, as Kat was. Taliyah's mother, a pale woman with deep brown hair, turned and looked back at the castle. As her eyes landed upon Kat, Kat slid the curtains closed, turning away from the window. She felt wrong prying into this private moment.

Slowly, she walked to her bed and looked at the dress that lay upon it. It was gorgeous, of course, a pale gray with gemstones that started red at the top of the bodice, transitioning into orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and then violet, as well as matching tiara with a single, multicolored rainbow crystal. It was, perhaps, the perfect ensemble for the night, yet she could not bring herself to put it on. Not right then, anyways. Not after the intimate moment she'd seen, tearing down what little emotional strength she'd built up after the death of a girl who she barely knew. A death that she blamed herself for.

-uUu-

Katalina was silent as the two maids worked around her. Adina spun her hair into a curled updo and Yvette dusted a peachy color onto her cheeks. They had tried to initiate conversation with her, but had quickly realized she was far from in the mood to talk. Kind as they were, they did not press her on why she didn't wish to speak. She was too full of nervousness and sadness to say anything.

"Well," Yvette said softly, "You're all set. They'll be wanting you down at the production room soon, so we'd best get going, alright?"

Kat nodded, "Alright…"

She followed Adina and Yvette through the castle halls, down a flight of stairs to the set of the _Report_ , and took a deep breath. She had put off thinking about the contestants in the Selection for quite some time, but she could no longer push it all away. What if they were straight, and just there for the crown? What if, when they met her, they discovered what a mess she was (especially over the death of Taliyah) and decided they wanted out?

"Just a reminder, we are beginning in fifteen!" a snide voice called out. Kat groaned as she turned to see Bellington and Byrrel were both on the set today. It wasn't surprising, of course, considering they did sometimes show up for the biggest broadcasts, but this was not what she needed today.

Kat sighed and walked to the seat she would be in for the broadcast, front and center next to where Gavril sat. The host was already sitting there, sipping on a steaming cup of coffee that smelled of caramel and chocolate.

"You nervous?" he asked with a smile.

Kat nodded, "Very."

"It'll be fine," Gavril replied, "I've already seen the batch of girls, they're lovely."

"Of course they are, no ugly girl would be picked."

"Hey, that's a plus for you, though right?"

Kat gave a slight laugh, shaking her head, "As long as their personalities are as lovely as their faces, sure."

They continued to make light chatter until a producer called, "Starting in one minute!"

Kat sucked in her breath, all her anxiety building up inside her.

"Deep breaths, Princess," Gavril said, noticing her state.

"We're on in three, two, one!" cried the producer.

"Welcome, Illéa, to a very special broadcasting of the _Ill_ _éa Capital Report!_ Tonight's the night, folks, that we will finally announce the participants of our very own Princess Katalina Beaumont's Selection!" Gavril began his speech, which Kat could not pay attention to most of. She mostly just sat, blank-eyed, as Gavril babbled on.

"So, how do you feel, Katalina?" hearing her name popped her out of her haze.

"Nervous, and excited! I cannot wait to see the Daughters of Illéa, and I am even more excited to meet them!" Kat faked excitement.

"Excellent! So, then, without further ado…" Gavril grinned.

"From Allens, Uma Teacher!"

"From Angeles, Jennfyr Gallaway!"

"From Atlin, Cameo Howard!"

With each girl a picture appeared, though Kat found it hard to pay attention to, her anxiety getting the best of her. How was she supposed to find a lifelong love within a pool of girls she did not know? She gazed at the screen on which girl's pictures appeared, but saw nothing, and heard the names of the girls as though underwater.

"From Baffin, Elyn Mortissio!"

"From Bankston, Hanna Porter!"

"From Belcourt, Charlotte Terracotta!"

Names kept coming but she barely heard them, nervousness consuming all her senses.

"Bonita… annon… Belm…"

"...Lysa Pine..."

"...Juana..."

What if these were all just straight girls, there for the crown? How was she supposed to tell? What if these girls got hurt because of her? What if people harmed their families? How was she supposed to deal with that? What if what happened to Taliyah happened again? There still had been no arrest made. How was she supposed to ensure these girls' safety?

"So, Princess Katalina, what do you think of the batch?"

"..."

"Princess?"

"They're lovely! Sorry, it took me a moment to respond because I'm just so shocked at how amazing these girls all seem! I'm really looking forward to getting to meet them!" having been trained for so long in television performances, Kat knew how to make up for the blunder… mostly.

"They definitely are! Now, for King Tyran with the political news."

After the broadcast was finished, Berlin came up to Kat and asked, "What happened there? Why'd you get so spacey? You barely paid any attention at all to the girls."

"It was nothing," Kat replied, her head too rattled to explain all of her thoughts to her sister.

Berlin shrugged, "If you're sure! I think they've got some potential, but none of them will ever be prettier than me."

Her sister flipped her hair and walked away, leaving Kat with her ever compressing thoughts.

 **I really hope you guys like this chapter, considering I don't think it's one of my best. Please-please-please submit more characters, there's still space, and I get really happy every time I see a new one. Thank you so much for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**SYOC still open!**

 **Time for some more (longer) pov hopping with the girls! Hope you like this chapter!**

 **Note: The creator of the character "Moreena Challis" wanted me to clarify that her last name is pronounced the same as the word "Chalice" and not "Challies."**

 **Also, the descriptors of other characters from the POV sections are what I think the character whose POV it is would think, not my actual opinions of your characters!**

Lysa's cellphone exploded with ringing, but she didn't pick it up. Her hands were clasped firmly over her mouth, staring at the flatscreen TV on her wall, a single word repeating over and over again in her head. _No. No. No._ She didn't want this. She didn't want this at all. Lysa had it all, a beautiful girlfriend, a stable acting job, and enough money to buy a whole province. She wanted nothing more than what she had, especially not to compete for Princess Katalina's heart, but her mother had different ideas. Harpra Pinegrove had always wanted the fame that came with being a two, despite being born a three. At twenty, she had married an old, rich Two looking for a young beauty, and inherited all of his money when he "mysteriously" died. However, money had not been enough to make up for Harpra's lack of skill, leading to her never getting famous, so she dedicated her daughter's life to becoming the most famous actress in all of the country. While at first Lysa's homosexuality had been a bit of a problem, she'd figured out a way to bank off it- Illéa's Lesbian Sweetheart, petitioning for equality and never letting anyone for get she was an oppressed, gay inspiration. It wasn't exactly a happy life for Lysa, but everything had changed when she'd met Aurelie, a beautiful model with a personality that was even more beautiful, and they had fallen in love.

Aurelie was Lysa's everything, and Lysa was just lucky enough to be hers. When they were both off work, they'd hang out at each other's mansions, just chilling around and watching movies or playing with Lysa's two cats. With Aurelie, life was like a dream.

"Oh, this is wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! Lysa, you're going to be a queen!" cheered Harpra.

Lysa shook her head, "No, I won't," she murmured.

"Oh, please, Lysa," laughed Harpra, "None of these other girls are as beautiful, talented, _or_ well known as you are. You're a shoo-in for win! We're going to be _Ones_ , my darling!"

"No, that's not it, Mom, what about Aurelie?" Lysa raised her voice, annoyed.

"Who, dear?"

"My _girlfriend._ Aurelie Greenings?" she glared.

After a brief second, recognition glinted in Harpra's eyes, "Oh, yes, the blonde. She's alright, but you could do so much better. You could be the Queen!"

"But I don't _want_ to be the Queen, Mom," Lysa groaned, "I want to be famous actress Lysa Pinegrove with her girlfriend Aurelie."

"Nonsense, Lysa, I'm sure you'll realize once you get to the luxurious castle that it's what you really want," Harpra nodded.

"I'm not going," Lyss replied.

"What?"

Lysa smirked, putting her hands on her hips, "I'm going to tell whoever comes to bring me to the airport that it was a mistake, and to choose someone else."

"Lysa Alysson Pinegrove you will do no such thing!" Harpra's face had erupted with a look of fury, "If you make an attempt to do this- as your manager and agent -I will remove you from Vampire Love."

"No… you wouldn't… the show _needs_ me! I play the main character, you can't just take me away!" shrieked a shocked Lysa.

"I can and I will," Harpra replied snobbishly.

It was at that moment that there was a knock on the door. Now, Lysa was no idiot. She was used to the occasional pap popping up to try and get a picture of her, and knew that the Selection would only heighten her famousness, but she had a feeling something important was behind that door, so she stood up to open it.

"HOW COULD YOU?" a girl shrieked.

Standing outside her door, a gorgeous tall, skinny girl with long, flowing blonde hair, high cheekbones, full red lips, and big blue eyes glared at Lysa.

"Aurelie, I didn't want-" Lysa began, but was quickly cut off by her shouting girlfriend.

"Why the hell did you even apply?! Does our relationship mean nothing to you?! Is publicity _that_ important?! We had plans for the future! We love- loved each other! What the hell is wrong with you, Lysa?!" Aurelie shouted, fire in her eyes, "Were we just a game to you?"

"No… Aurelie, no… it was my mom, she-"

"That's always the excuse, isn't it? Your mom made you do something, we can't be out in public together because of your mom, your mom said you can't do something, it's _always_ the excuse," Aurelie growled.

Lysa shook her head, "It's not just an excuse, it's true!"

"If it's true, then grow some independence, Lysa. And you should've at least _told_ me that you did this! That you literally _made an attempt to cheat on me_ ," Aurelia said, frowning.

"No…" Lysa shook her head, "It's not like that, it's-"

"I don't even care anymore. You should have told me, you should've gotten out of your fame-hungry world for a second to actually care about your girlfriend. I'm so done with this. It's over." And with that, Aurelie turned and walked away, leaving a hurt Lysa staring after her.

"Perfect!" Harpra called from behind her, "Now that she's out of the way, there's really no reason for you to have qualms about the Selection!"

-uUu-

Moreena Challis was gorgeous. She had long, caramel colored beach waves with big hazel eyes and full pink lips, as well as a tiny waist and rather large breasts. Originally, her nose hadn't been too great, a bit like a hawk's beak, but when her manager recommended a nose job she hastened at the change to correct it. She was the epitome of modern-day beauty, and she knew it.

The daughter of an insanely popular singer and a star quarterback, Moreena was bred for success, and boy did she want it. She tried her hand at modeling, and sure, she was a natural beauty, but she didn't want that. She wanted to be front and center, all the lights shining on her. Her parents got her a vocal coach, and multiple vocal cord surgeries, until she had the most amazing, powerful voice. Through bribery and strategy, she had become one of the star pop singers of the generation, releasing numerous hits and gathering an enormous fanbase, but Moreena wanted more. So, when the Selection was announced, she didn't care what gender the royal was. Being Queen… it would be the paragon of fame, being a One, never worrying about going out of style. She was oh-so-suddenly left with a hunger for power, and applied as soon as possible. After all, who at the palace would choose some random over beautiful Moreena Challis? The answer? No one. As she had predicted, Moreena was chosen to compete in the Selection.

Standing in front of the thousands of people who had come to watch her leave for the airport, Moreena smiled and waved to the crowds, blowing kisses and winking. She even signed a few autographs for the people in the front of the throng. The mayor of her city walked up next to her, a grin on his face. He clearly loved all the attention he was getting, turning to shake Moreena's hand.

"Well, Miss Challis? Do you have anything you'd like to say to the crowds?" the mayor asked.

"I'd love to speak!" replied Moreena, smiling sweetly.

The mayor grinned into the microphone set up in front of the crowd and called, "And now, a few words from our very own Selected, amazing popstar Moreena Challis!"

Taking the microphone from the mayor's hands, Moreena spoke to the crowd charmingly, "First of all, I'd like to thank so many of you for coming out to support me! It really means so much to me that there are so many people who care! I know this has come as a surprise to many of you. The truth is, ever since I was young I knew I was different. I don't just like boys… I've always been attracted to girls _and_ boys. I'm bisexual. I applied in secret to the Selection, not expecting to get picked… but here I am. I am so happy to finally come clean to the world as who I am, Moreena Challis, proud bisexual, and I am even happier to see if the most beautiful girl in the world, Princess Katalina Beaumont, and I could be something. Thank you."

Moreena's speech was utter bullshit. Katalina Beaumot was certainly not the most beautiful girl in the world- she was, and she was straight as a board. However, the crowd hung onto every word that she said, and screamed and cheered when she finished. Moreena waved, happy at the response, and turned to get into the car that would escort her to the airport. As the car drove off, she waved to the excited crowds, knowing that in a competition like this, every moment counted.

She arrived at the airport, and boarded a flight alone, much to her delight. She didn't want to waste all of her energy on being fake with some randoms before even seeing the princess. However, after her first flight ended she was upset to see two other girls waiting in the airport lobby, one of which she immediately recognized as Lysa Pinegrove, an actress famous among teenage girls. She was a well known lesbian, and it was used as a large part of her fame. Diversity went a long way in business. Moreena laughed to herself, wondering if Lysa really bought in on the finding love with the princess thing.

"What's so funny?" the girl sitting beside Lysa asked.

"Oh, nothing," Moreena replied sweetly, "Just an inside joke with a friend back home. I'm Moreena Challis, though I'm guessing you already knew that. What's your name?"

"Lysa Pinegrove…" Lysa mumbled, and Moreena rolled her eyes. Anyone who was of a respectable caste (read: Threes and up) would recognize Lysa, and anyone up to Sixes would recognize Moreena. There was no need for introductions.

"Sorry!" the girl next to Lysa replied chipperly, "She's just had a rough few days, she's not, like, sad to meet you or anything!"

In truth, Moreena had not even noticed Lysa's frown until pointed out by the girl next to her. Lysa looked typical of an actress, pale-ish skin, brown hair and brown eyes to give her the "relatable" factor, but makeuped enough to look dramatic and gorgeous. Compared to Moreena's rare caramel hair and perfect features she was nothing.

"So, who are you?" Moreena turned to the other girl. She was rather plain, specifically compared to Moreena, with olive skin, milky brown hair done in two french braids and brown eyes downturned ever-so-slightly, making her look quite morose. She was a tiny thing, but not in a good way, with no muscle and no bust. Essentially, she was no competition to Moreena.

"Oh! I'm Rhiannon. It's, like, so amazing to meet you! You're always all over the news and everything!" The girl grinned.

Moreena smirked, happy to be getting the recognition she deserved. She flipped her long hair over her shoulder and smiled at Rhiannon. "It's really not that big of a deal," she replied, smiling sweetly.

"It's just I'm quite a fan of yours!" Rhiannon babbled happily, smiling at what she thought was her new friend.

"Then I guess," replied Moreena, "you already know about me. So tell me about yourself."

Naively Rhiannon rambled off about her life story with Moreena paying close attention. Moreena didn't care about Rhiannon, of course, but she knew that the more she learned about her competition the better, and every detail that Rhiannon shed she could use against her.

However, Moreena did not get to analyze for long as soon a man in a suit came and told them that it was time to board. Hurrying in front of the other two to make sure she got the best seat in the plane, Moreena didn't miss Rhiannon's whisper to Lysa.

"I can't believe she made us this late… I guess pop stars really are self absorbed."

Moreena raised an eyebrow. She hadn't tagged Rhiannon as one for shit talking, but sometimes even she got things wrong. She made a mental note of this, for despite her exterior friendliness Moreena knew this was a competition… a competition she intended to win.

-uUu-

"Nova Dyre," said the petite blue-haired girl.. She was pretty in a mystical, fairylike way, with her long, wavy, sky blue dyed hair, big purple eyes (contacts, certainly) and a dark smoky eye around them. She was very pale, and her lips seemed to always be puckered in a slight 'o' shape.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Cameo Howard. You've probably heard of me.," a dapper looking asian girl replied in a rather judgemental tone. She was the very definition of butch, wearing tan tight khakis, a dark black belt, a white button up, and a black blazer. Her raven hair was cropped short in a very fashionable (as well as very gay) style, slicked back like high fashion demanded. Her eyes were piercing and dark, coated in a sharp layer of eyeliner contributing to her fierce and intimidating look.

Nova looked puzzled at Cameo's words, before a look of recognition crossed her face, accompanied by a small gasp. "You're the Six! The one who got really famous in the fashion world. You're like a living miracle!"

Cameo narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't call my talent and hard work a miracle."

"N-No, that's not what I meant." Nova blushed. "I just meant that it's really hard for a Six to escape their caste's lifestyle."

"Well, I'm not a Six anymore for a reason," Cameo replied, her glower not moving an inch.

Nova inched away from Cameo and mumbled at the floor, "R-Right… you bought… of course. I never meant to offend you." She then turned away from Cameo, and began fiddling on her smartphone.

 _Natural Twos_ , thought Cameo, scoffing, _think they're so much better than everyone_.

Cameo sighed, knowing that wasn't Nova's intent. She knew she was too harsh with people, but she couldn't help but be defensive of her achievements. As a young Six she had managed to take her sewing skills to a new level and become a high-profile fashion designed, buying her and her parents all the way up to Twos. Even after her dad died they lived a life of luxury. Her hard work to get where she was left her defensive, especially when people talked to her as Nova had. Morally, she knew she should apologize, but she felt no need to.

She was just about to make the decision of whether or not to reinitiate conversation with the blue-haired girl when a man dressed in a suit (which Cameo noticed didn't quite fit him properly) and directed them onto the plane. They had been waiting for perhaps an hour in the airport lobby, and Cameo was thankful, if slightly annoyed, that they finally got to go ahead.

She slept through the plane ride, determined not to make conversation with Nova. Once they arrived in Angeles, she strutted off the plane in a runway type walk (for she had experience bickering with the models who didn't walk her pieces just right) smirking a cheeky (and rather flirtatious) grin at the cameras who had managed to get permission into the building.

"Alright," a dark haired man wearing a crisp suit and khakis said to Nova and Cameo, "When we leave the building there are going to be crowds and cameras. I mean _a lot_ of crowds and cameras. I know you, Lady Cameo, have experience with this, but Lady Nova, the flashing and the people can be a bit overwhelming at first."

"Oh… um, okay. I'm sure I'll be fine," Nova responded nervously.

Cameo frowned. She wasn't sure what it was about the term "Lady Cameo" but she really didn't like it. It made her feel weird in her stomach, but she shrugged the feeling off. She simply wasn't used to being treated like a royal.

The man motioned for Cameo and Nova to follow him, and they did, heading through the airport and past security. "Alright girls, time for the cameras."

A bit overdramatically the man threw the airport doors open, and Cameo and Nova were blinded by the flashing lights. Nova stuttered under the pressure, but Cameo had been through this before when her new lines came out, and she confidently walked through the center of the red carpet laid out, posing for some of the cameras, winking at some of the others. She waved to the fans, blew kisses, and grinned cockily. The crowd loved her, and no one batted an eye at the shy Nova.

Cameo smiled as she finally left the carpet, Nova following her like a meek shadow. She knew she had made a good impression, and she wanted that. She wanted Katalina to notice her, and to more than notice her. Katalina, the beautiful, pure goddess-among-women who destroyed Cameo's little biromantic heart every time she saw her on the television. She couldn't wait to meet her, and she prayed she would be all Cameo had cracked her up to be.

-uUu-

"And what do you propose, Katalina?"

Kat blinked up from the doodles on her notepad. She hadn't really been paying attention to the discussion around her, too distracted with the thoughts of the incoming Selected. She tried to think quickly back to the last topic of discussion, but found she couldn't.

"Well, Katalina?" the king said coldly.

"Umm," started Katalina, trying to conjure up a way out of this, "I agree with Sir Gundham."

Across the table from her Byrrel's face broke into a smug smirk.

"Well Katalina," Tyran sneered with disgust, "If you were paying any attention _at all_ you'd recognize that Sir Gundham isn't here."

Katalina felt her cheeks warm with blood, blushing furiously at her mistake.

Tyran sighed angrily, the noise coming out more like a snarl. "We were discussing what to do since the Kazbeki-Afpakis Union has finally agreed to a peace agreement with Indipal, who, as you _hopefully_ know is one of our biggest allies against New Asia. The next steps for us could include the KAU now, however, we do not want to offend the Indipal President."

Katalina nodded. "So the question now is how to proceed."

"Obviously." Tyran sneered. "Since I have, for some mad reason, asked for your input, would you be so gracious as to stop stalling and illuminate us with your wise ideas, if you homosexuals possess any brains, that is."

Katalina did not let the hurt her father's comment generated show on her face, instead maintaining a stony expression. "I believe we should send a group to the KAU, but stop first at Indipal. Discuss with Indipal advancing with the Kazbeki-Afpakis Union and solidify our alliance with them, and then head to the KAU to speak to the Kazbekafapakistanian President."

"It's actually Kazbekafepakistanian," Byrrel said, correcting her pronunciation of the difficult word snidely, "But, as reluctant I am to admit it, your request does seem the most logical way to proceed."

King Tyran nodded, stroking his beard. "Who all here agrees with Princess Katalina?"

The advisors all glanced at one another before nodding.

"Then," Tyran said rather begrudgingly, "I suppose we will have to follow through with this idea."

Kat was shocked. It was so rare that they even asked her to speak, and she didn't think they had ever accepted an idea of hers. She gaped at the circle of advisors, astonished at how this meeting had turned out.

"Close your mouth, child, you'll catch flies," sniffed Aledonna, throwing open the door and walking towards Tyran.

"As if there'd be a fly in this castle." Byrrel smirked. "Of course, following that one you can never be sure."

Ignoring Byrrel's jab, Kat asked her mother, "Why are you here?"

"Hmph! What a nice way to greet your mother," Aledonna replied, glowering, "I'm here to speak to Tyran. Dear, the _thing_ we talked about… it's rather urgent that you accompany me to your office."

Tyran nodded, and glanced towards the group of advisors. "Let me finish up with this quickly, and I shall meet you there."

Aledonna nodded, looking stricken. Kat wondered what on earth could have made her confident (and frankly cocky) mother so worried, but knew she'd gather no answers from asking her father.

"Right, as to where we were. I believe it would be the best decision to send you, Katalina, to the KAU and Indipal. You're royal enough to garner their pleasure, but not enough to warrant their retribution if they become displeased. You'll take guards, of course. You need to learn how to do these things for yourself if you're going to be the Queen one day," Tyran said gruffly.

Kat's already humongous eyes widened even more. Not only was her father accepting her idea with open arms, but also sending her on an important diplomatic mission? Was he, perhaps, sick? Surely Tyran would never trust her with something like this.

"Well, I suppose that's settled then. Meeting adjourned." Tyran stood up and left, the advisors behind him.

 _What just happened?_ Kat thought, confused out of her mind. In fact, the sudden change of heart Tyran seemed to have distracted her so completely that she didn't even think to wonder what the "thing" Aledonna had spoken of was until it was late night and she lay in bed.

 **Next chapter is going to be the makeover! If you submitted/are submitting a character and have specific requests for the makeover, please send them! Otherwise it'll be left to me (so don't be angry if you dislike it… please ;-;).**

 **You can still submit characters! PLEASE submit characters!** _ **Please**_ _**I am begging you if you have read this story please submit someone**_ **. Or two. Submit two and I will love you forever.**

 **Also, if you want to submit someone but don't really want to put in all the effort, send me a filler name and maybe one or two characteristics for a throwaway girl to be eliminated early.**

 **Thank you so much for reading this story!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Please submit more characters, even if you've already submitted one. I will love you forever.**

 **Also if you submit two characters is more likely that one of yours will win.**

 **A reminder that pov opinions (and nicknames they give other characters lol) are just the thoughts of the characters that section is focused on.**

Kat was surprised at how fast they shipped her out of the castle, and rather disappointed. They'd told her that she'd be back in time for the first meeting with the Selection, in a few days, but she had wanted to be there for the makeovers and the first arrivals. Her parents had told her that it was fine, and she'd be able to see the arrivals and makeovers on TV, but she still wanted to be there. It was _her_ Selection, didn't she have a right to witness it firsthand? However, she understood the necessity of forming alliances against New Asia, since the war had been going downhill. The new draft would be coming in soon, and since more guards would be at the palace for the Selection, they needed all the help they could get on the field.

Lowering herself into her first class chair, she tried to sleep. She'd need the rest if she was going to be dealing with sly diplomats and deceitful ambassadors.

-uUu-

Fleur wasn't supposed to be there. Really, she had only applied because she wanted Luna to take the chance. She would go to the end of the world for her best friend, and thought the odds of being chosen were slim for her. Fleur had been dating Luna's twin, Sol (though admittedly in secret), for a few years now, and was absolutely smitten. The very thought of him made her heart flutter. So, after the shock of being Selected her immediate first thought was to withdraw. However, Sol had reminded her of all the questions that would be asked, and, considering they had illegally gone all the way that year it would put both Fleur and Sol in a jeopardizing position. So that was how she had wound up sitting in a car next to two girls she didn't know, to compete for a girl who she'd never love, in a province she'd never been to.

Fleur sighed and looked at the girls on either side of her. One of them, a pretty blonde thing with a curvaceous hourglass figure, had her face pressed up to the window. The other, another blonde, had tried to initiate conversation with her but backed off a bit when Fleur didn't have any interest in the gossip flying out of her mouth. The silent car ride only heightened her sense of removal, knowing she wasn't meant to be there. She barely even recognized the stopping of the car until the gossipy girl to her left nudged her.

A frowning woman with brown hair in a tight bun and crisp pantsuit arrived to lead them somewhere, commenting about how they were behind schedule and scrawling a note down on a clipboard. Led in through a side door, Fleur marveled at the castle. Everything was pristine, the walls tastefully decorated with art pieces no doubt worth thousands and not a single speck of dirt on the floor. When they traveled up a staircase Fleur was nearly certain the railing was made of gold, dramatic and shining.

The pantsuit woman stopped in front of a big set of doors, and spoke to them in a very enunciated and articulate voice. "Welcome to the first day of the Selection, ladies. I am Silvia. I will be monitoring your progress and helping to guide you, as well as giving you lessons. Since you are in a _royal palace_ , as I may be forced to remind you frequently it is _imperative_ that you be on your best behavior!"

Fleur and the two blondes nodded, and Silvia pushed open the doors, into a somewhat large room filled with makeup stations and attendants running around holding hairspray, makeup, and other beauty tools. The room was nearly suffocating with the artificial smell of makeup, and it was filled with the shouts of beauticians to one another. At some of the stations there were girls being polished and reformed, and some appeared to be undergoing rather large changes. More than three girls across the room appeared to be having their hair dyed, and they did not look pleased.

"Carolynn Lackson, you will be going to station number seventeen. Fleur Lee, you're going to eighteen. Tatiana Redding, you'll be at twenty four," Silvia chirped, and Fleur was snapped out of her wonder, "The lower numbers are towards the left, the higher ones are on the right."

Fleur and the gossipy blonde girl- Carolynn -headed off towards the middle, while the shapely Tatiana headed to her own station. Carolynn smirked, clearly pleased with the makeover treatment, and slinked ahead to her station, as Fleur nervously walked to the station marked with the number eighteen.

"You're Fleur Lee?" a woman wearing arguably too much makeup asked, twirling a brush in her fingers. Fleur nodded, and the woman gestured for her to sit down in a puffy chair. The woman introduced herself as Remilia and introduced other two beauticians there, but Fleur forgot their names immediately after.

"Well, Lady Fleur, we're here to make you a stunner- to capture both Princess Katalina and Illéa's attention. To do that, you might need to make a few changes. For example, well, Katalina's already a brunette and you wouldn't want to look like you're her sister, right? You also have green eyes, and while they aren't the same green as the princess's, I don't think you want to risk looking too similar to her, now, right? So color contacts and hair dye, sound good?" the woman chattered rapidly, so fast that Fleur had to take a few seconds to wrap her head around exactly what she said.

Fleur frowned. "But I like my hair. And I like my eyes too, why would I change something that looks good about me?"

"To stand out, of course!" one of Remilia's assistants cried dramatically, "Don't you want to draw attention? To come in with a _bang_ and not just a pop?"

"If it means changing the way I look do drastically, then no, I'd much rather have a 'pop' than a 'bang,'" Fleur enunciated, marking her point with air quotes. She was met with glares from the beauty team. She felt bad, like she was being rude, but she really didn't want to dye her hair- especially for something she didn't even want to participate in.

"Fine, fine, whatever you say," Remilia said, clearly disagreeing with Fleur's opinion, "This is, in the end, your choice. We'll proceed with the rest of what we planned to do though. A braid crown updo with golden glitter spray in it, and a light smokey eye with just a hint of gold undertones. Pale rose on the blush and lips, and metallic gold nails. We've a shimmery gold dress picked out for you, but theoretically you can choose any of the ones on this rack here. I would really go for the gold one though, because the entire look is oriented around gold. We want you to walk in there looking like a mystical goddess."

While Fleur did eye a light pink one-shoulder dress, she ultimately decided on the one Remilia had recommended. After rejecting her initial plans, Fleur wanted to make it up to her. Remilia and her assistants bounced into action, powering and buffing every surface on Fleur's body, until she was, as the beautician had described, a mystical goddess. Fleur only hoped that Sol would be watching.

-uUu-

Cameo glowered at the two women in front of her. "What do you mean, more feminine? My hair is perfect the way it is. And I prefer suits not dresses. Clothing doesn't have a gender."

"Oh, sweetie, how wrong you are." The stylist smirked, and Cameo rolled her eyes. She'd been condescending from the moment Cameo arrived, which was absolutely ridiculous considering Cameo's status over her. "Clothing _definitely_ has a gender. So, as I was saying, we'll be giving you extensions in your hair, and you'll be wearing a rose gold ballgown as well as some flirty makeup in a matching color."

An assistant pulled a garment bag off of a nearby rack, walked over, and unzipped it for Cameo. Inside was a frilly, lacy pink dress with little flowers on the waistline. Cameo nearly vomited.

"I won't be caught _dead_ wearing a pink dress, and especially not on television!" she hissed.

"Pink? Pink?! Sweetie, it's _rose gold_ , not just pink!" The woman shook her head, clicking her tongue. "Oh, honey, you're so lucky you have us to guide your fashion sense now."

Cameo barked out a laugh. "Don't you even know who I am? I am Cameo Howard. _The_ Cameo Howard of _Cameo Contemporary_. I am the number one fashion designer in all of Illéa, and you, some nobody who got tremendously lucky to work here, think you can 'guide' my fashion sense?"

The woman's eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she stuttered out, "O-Oh M-Miss Cameo I-I didn't realize it was y-you…"

"Quite obviously," Cameo replied, rolling her eyes.

"R-Really though, we're just trying to help you. Rumor has it that Princess Katalina is more into feminine girls. Trust me. We know how it is around here."

Cameo frowned. All her life, she had looked up to Katalina as the pinnacle of what a girlfriend for her could be. Katalina was beautiful, graceful and (at least in the interviews she took) humorous. Cameo was the prime example of a butch girl, having been mistaken for a boy more times than she could count (which she heavily enjoyed). If Katalina didn't like butch… would it be worth it to change her look for her?

Cameo weighed her options before looking the woman in the eye and saying sternly, "I am controlling my image right now. You may not do whatever you want, and if I tell you to stop something I previously agreed to, you stop then, no questions asked. I will not have extensions added to my hair, but you can cut it in a more feminine design. I will not be wearing that hideous pink mess… but I'll wear a dress. Make sure it's a fashionable one though. I don't diverge from high fashion- ever."

"Yes, of course. You!" the wide-eyed woman pointed at a nearby assistant. "Fetch us the most high-fashion dress you can find. Modern."

"You may begin now," Cameo said, relaxing into the chair and praying she wouldn't look too girly when she was done. If Katalina liked it, though, it would be worth it.

-uUu-

Tatiana stared at herself in the mirror next to her chair, thinking of everything wrong with herself. Her makeover crew was late (much to Silvia's displeasure) and she was left with time to wait and ponder. Pondering didn't do good for one like her, especially with a mirror so readily in front of her.

 _So short yet so fat,_ Tatiana thought, scrunching up her nose in disgust. Only a small 5'2, Tatiana stood far below the tall, thin, gorgeous girls that had also been brought in. Tatiana hated her body, and despite attempting many diets nothing changed for her. _At least they're doing a makeover. Maybe that'll help_.

As soon as she heard about the makeover she was excited. A chance to make herself look better, which personally she thought she desperately needed. Secretly, she prayed they'd give her diet pills for more of a long-term outcome. She knew they existed, but as a Six- well, Three now -she'd never had access to them. If she was able to get her hands on them at the palace… they'd let her take them home with her, right? While Tatiana was indeed very gay, she didn't have much interest in the competition- what were the odds of a princess falling in love with _her_ , especially when that would make her a queen, a job that she would most certainly fail at.

"Tatiana Redding? So sorry we're late."

Tatiana looked up, ending her self-resenting thought chain. "O-Oh… it's alright!"

"I'm Myla de'Firea, I'll be your stylist today. My assistants here, Rex Putnam and Catlin Yamari, will also help me. Would you mind standing up, Lady Tatiana, so we can have a look at you?" Myla was tall with fiery red hair and a girl-next-door vibe. She wore a smock with makeup brushes in it, and twirled a rather poofy one in her right hand.

Tatiana nervously adjusted her clothes as she stood up, knowing what they were about to say; they would have to compensate for her weight while dressing her, and even then she'd probably still not look very good.

"Oh, wow!" A glowing smile lit up Myla's face. "You have the most gorgeous hourglass figure. It'll be so easy to dress you too, your curves are going to look great! I wish I looked like you- I'm flat as a board."

"Thank you," Tatiana murmured, though she knew Myla was just trying to be nice. Her body was a mess, and she knew it.

"Okay, Rex, get the makeup. Make it darker ones. Smokey," Myla said to her assistant before turning back to Tatiana, "We were originally going to go with a more sweet, innocent look, but since you've got this killer bod I'm now thinking more… mysterious seductress."

"Oh, um." Tatiana frowned. "That's really not my style. I'd really prefer the original look."

Myla nodded. "Well, if that's what you want. Rex, you heard Lady Tatiana. Original makeup set."

As Rex left to get the makeup, Myla stared Tatiana down intensely, making Tatiana a bit uncomfortable. After a few moments of this, Myla nodded to herself, and murmured something about pinks.

"Do you have your ears pierced?" Myla asked, before shaking her head, "Oh, sorry, you're a Six. You wouldn't. Do you mind us piercing them?"

"U-Um, go ahead, sure," Tatiana replied. She'd seen ear piercings on the children of the Threes she nannied for, and admired them, but hadn't ever considered getting them for herself. She was much too poor, as a Six, to even think about it.

"Alright, it'll be pretty quick but it'll hurt a bit. Kind of like a bee sting. You'll need to cleanse it with the cleaner we give you twice a day, but we can just tell your maids to help you," Myla said, and Tatiana marveled at the fact that she- a Six, essentially a maid -would be served by maids. "You can only wear studs for six months. We can arrange for, if you get sent home- a very sad occasion -you to take some with you so the holes don't close. You're be a Three, after all, so it's appropriate for you to have at least basic jewelry."

Myla grabbed a little plastic thing labeled _Piercing Gun_ from her smock, and loaded a tiny shiny thing into it. She grabbed a cotton swab and put a little bit of some liquid mixture onto it, walked over to Tatiana's chair, and applied it softly to her earlobes. "Your starters are going to be a nice pale pink."

Myla reached into her smock once more, and after a bit of shuffling, pulled out a black pen. "I'm just going to dot your ears so I know it's even where I pierce."

After she marked Tatiana's earlobes, she grabbed her piercing gun once more and said, "This is going to hurt. Sorry. Do you want them to be one at a time, or both at the same time?"

Tatiana considered for a minute, before replying, "Both at the same time." If the pain was really bad, she wouldn't be able to back out of the second earlobe like this.

"Alright, Catlin, come here and help me with this then. Grab a piercing gun from the table over there, load it with the medium sized morganite one." Her assistant did as she said, and came back with a loaded piercing gun.

"Okay, Tatiana, you ready?" Myla asked, and Tatiana nodded.

"Alright, three, two, one, go!"

 _Click!_ Tatiana's earlobes exploded with a sharp stinging, and she winced. The pain pulsed quickly, and Myla looked at her apologetically.

"I know it probably stings, but it looks great! Arguably one of the most even piercings I've ever done. Would you like to see it?" Myla grinned.

Tatiana nodded, and Myla handed her a hand mirror. She looked into it, and saw that in her ears were little crystalline pale pink gems, and they were beautiful. With them, she didn't look like herself, Tatiana Redding, a Six, but Tatiana Redding, Selected and a Three. Perhaps the Selection wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps she had a chance.

-uUu-

Rhiannon smiled at her reflection. The stylists had done an excellent job. Her dark brown hair was in two dutch braids over her chest and her eyelids were coated in a shimmery gold shadow. Her tan skin (as was common of Bonita, her province) was smooth, and the stylists had managed to make the mole underneath her eye nearly disappear. They'd had lined her eyes in such a way that made their usually sad downturn disappear, and she looked lively. A simple nude color graced her lips, leaving her looking gorgeous yet classy. However, her favorite part of her look was not her face, but her dress. It was long and a baby yellow, with one shoulder strap covered in shimmering yellow stones that continued all over the dress forming floral patterns.

Rhiannon nodded at herself, _No way will any of the other girls look this great._

"Well, if you're all done admiring yourself, we can escort you to the picture station where they'll have you do a short interview for the first episode, and then you'll be on your way to getting settled in," her stylist told her. She nodded cheerfully and followed him through the crowds of girls getting their makeup done. When they arrived at the picture station, Rhiannon got in line behind two girls who were engaged in conversation. Grinning to herself, she eavesdropped upon them.

"It's just so amazing and unlikely that both Moreena Challis _and_ Lysa Pinegrove are here. I run a blog about Lysa! She's my favorite person, like, ever!" one of the girls chatted to the other.

Rhiannon rolled her eyes at the old news. She'd already met both Lysa and Moreena. Lysa seemed nice enough, sure, but she'd spent the majority of the time with Rhiannon moping. Rhiannon had coaxed it out of her that her longtime girlfriend, model Aurelie Glissera, had broken up with her over her joining the Selection. She had told Rhiannon that her mother had forced her into it, but had no intentions of mentioning that fact when spreading it around that Lysa had just gotten her heart stomped on. In fact, she was just about to butt into the girls' conversation to mention this when she heard something that surprised her.

"Did you hear about the death?" one of the girls- a redhead -asked.

The other girl, a blonde, replied, "No… what happened?"

Carrot-Top frowned. "Well, I heard that a girl here… that she was _murdered_ at Princess Katalina's birthday party! And that they _never found the killer_."

"What?!" Blondie gasped.

Rhiannon's jaw dropped, but her eyes lit up. This. _This_ was juicy gossip. A murder, with no killer known, in the castle? How exciting!

"I know right!" Carrot-Top replied, looking frightened, "Isn't that like… dangerous? To have a crazed murderer running around and not tell us? What if he tries to attack one of us?"

Blondie shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself. "Creepy. They better give us, like, bodyguards or something."

Carrot-Top nodded before getting called to do her pictures and interview. Rhiannon grinned. What excellent news to have picked up on. Not only did she have Lysa's heartbreak to spread, but this new info. Surely the other girls would latch onto the idea of a killer creeping around the palace. Smirking, Rhiannon fidgeted with her dress. The opportunity to be surrounded by thirty-four other girls- thirty-five including the princess -was spectacular to her. All the socializing and gossip was right up her alley, and she planned to capitalize on that. In fact, it was more on her mind to win the gossip-game than it was to truly win the Selection.

-uUu-

"Yes, everything's going as planned," Tyran said, nodding and scratching his beard. "She's gone as of a few hours ago. I was lucky to get Aledonna to agree to it, so she does not suspect a thing."

"Excellent," the girl replied, "I've already got my maids on my side. I'm sure it will be simple winning her heart. You said that she's a simpleminded girl, yes?"

"I don't keep up with her lessons, but I know she follows her heart much too swiftly. If you woo her quickly, I'm sure we'll have this whole business tied up and secured." Tyran smirked.

The girl smiled widely. "I already went through her room, as you requested, and found a few things of interest- books, trinkets, other conversation topics. While she is gone, what other moves are we to make?"

"Try to stir up some trouble with the other girls. Rumors of the recent killing that took place. Try to make them want to leave, so this whole ordeal can be over with sooner."

The girl nodded. "Of course, Sir. I 'let it slip' to my stylist's assistant within earshot of a few girls already. I know at least two heard, and one of them already told someone else."

Tyran's nasty grin grew wider. "Excellent, excellent. I'm nearly certain the killings shall continue, so if one does occur I shall alert you immediately, and as to what hallway it is in. Try to bring another girl or two with you to witness the body. Scare them off."

"Anything to win, Sir. I won't let you down."

 **Sorry if your character didn't get their makeover focused on… I couldn't do everyone.**

 _ **PLEASE SUBMIT ANOTHER CHARACTER IF YOU'VE ALREADY SUBMITTED ONE!**_ **Literally begging for more characters rn. I will marry you if you do.**

 **Please tell me how you liked this chapter (or disliked, I don't think it was one of my better ones).**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ty for the new characters I received… much love to you guys! There are still about 15 spots left so please continue to submit!**

 **This definitely isn't my best chapter. I've had a lot of schoolwork, tests, projects, presentations, essays, the like, and haven't been able to update in quite some time so I've been feeling a lot of pressure (from myself) to get this one out. So it's not the best quality, but I hope you still enjoy it.**

Kat stared at the luxury flat-screen TV, waiting for the commercials to be over. She was in the KAU, working on negotiating an alliance between them and Illéa. However, in between meetings, she was about to watch the first episode of the Selection. It felt very weird seeing it from an outsider's perspective, knowing this was all for her. The program had just finished introducing all of the girls (many of whom Kat had already forgotten the names of, despite her best efforts), and when it came back it was going to show the makeovers and interviews. As much as she knew she should focus on personality and chemistry she couldn't help but judge the contestants by their looks. She promised herself she'd focus more on the actual people when she returned to Illéa.

As for now, a few girls had caught her eye. Obviously she couldn't look over the two celebrities in the mix, Moreena Challis and Lysa Pinegrove, both very pretty girls. She did feel a little worried that they'd be conceited self-centered power-hungry bitches, but she felt guilty for thinking that. She and Berlin weren't like that, so why would they be? They wouldn't, of course. There was a girl with bright blue hair, Nova-something, who seemed to move like she was in a dream. The girl piqued her interest, seeming to be some mystical, unreal creature. There was an asian girl who seemed very butch- which Kat was very into -who Kat recognized as high profile fashion designer Cameo Howard, and a petite Latina girl who had a lot of personality fit into the tiny interviews they featured.

Kat sighed and clicked off the TV. She knew that she'd gain nothing from watching the Selection as an outsider. She needed to get back to her work, anyways. Once she'd arrived in the KAU she'd realized the alliance was pretty much already mapped out. They'd even seemed surprised they'd sent her when a simple low-level diplomat would have sufficed. At least she'd fly back tomorrow.

-uUu-

Carolynn lay on her bed, thoughts flowing like a waterfall. She was trying to think up a way to stand out. Tomorrow the girls would meet the princess, and if there was one thing Carolynn knew from growing up with a journalist mother it was that people would only remember two things: your first and last impressions. Somehow she had to make Katalina remember her. She needed to be spontaneous without seeming crazy, mature without being boring, and funny without being juvenile. Every aspect of her image had to be maintained and controlled if she wanted to win. And boy, did she want to win.

It was nothing against Katalina. She was sure that the princess was a lovely person, and probably deserved to find romance, but Carolynn wanted the crown. It had been just three years since Carolynn's family was demoted. Not down to Eights, of course, they didn't technically break the law, but down one caste, to Fours. Carolynn had learned exactly how prominent the line between Three and Four was. Life as a Four was trash compared to as a Three. All Fours did was work, work, work, and work. Carolynn was used to sleeping in on weekends, studying for tests, and gossipping to her best friends about the less popular girls in her school. Suddenly she'd been thrown into a world where you wake up at 5:00am and work for twelve hours a day, every day.

And now… now she was a Three again. Every girl who was below a Three and chosen for the Selection was elevated. It felt like heaven. The only problem was her mom. Carolynn loved her mom with all her heart, and wanted her to be proud of her. If she could elevate her mom as well, not just to a Three, but to a One… she'd make her entire family proud, much more show all the people back home who whispered behind their back about them.

 _Sorry Katalina_ , Carolynn thought with a smirk, _but sometimes even princesses don't get the happy ending. Sometimes it goes to someone else._

-uUu-

Everyone else's feet ached, but Marielle's didn't. It was the first time that Marielle had been thankful for her insane height. Standing 6'5 she was about a foot taller than most of the girls there. Sure, she felt self conscious, but she was happy she hadn't had to walk around in heels for all the time the other girls did. Most of them had worn vibrant stilettos, while Marielle had worn a conservative pair of black flats.

Most of the girls were milling around in the Women's Room, introducing themselves to one another. There was a small crowd of about seven girls crowding around the famous Moreena Challis. She appeared to be enjoying the attention, smirking and crossing her arms over her chest. A smaller crowd had also cornered Lysa Pinegrove, who was an actress. Contrasting to Moreena, she seemed uncomfortable with all the attention. Her awkwardness didn't faze the fans though, who kept blabbering on to her.

A tiny girl with blue hair tapped on on Marielle's shoulder. Marielle looked up at her and smiled.

"Hello." The girl spoke softly, but not without excitement or emotion. "I don't believe we've met yet. I'm Nova."

"Nice to meet ya, Nova! I'm Marielle DeBussy," Marielle replied. Marielle's personality betrayed her posh name. She was a farm girl, a Four, and a bit of a stereotypical one if she was honest with herself.

Nova smiled in response, a secretive yet not unfriendly one. She was odd, to say the least. She stood up and drifted away towards another girl, introducing herself. Marielle was once again lonesome. She didn't really enjoy being alone, she was definitely more of an extrovert, but she felt too awkward to go around and talk to the other girls. The Women's Room was tense and tight, every girl painfully aware that this was a competition. Still, quite plenty of them were managing to fake it and chat with one another. Marielle didn't like being fake, so she made no attempt.

"Isn't it exciting?" a chipper voice chattered out from behind Marielle.

"Hm?" Marielle asked.

The girl walked around the plop down next to Marielle on the plush couch. She gestured wildly around the two, beaming. "All of this. Everything."

The girl was pretty, but not exactly a stunner. She was quite flimsy, and appeared to be of Latin descent. She was wearing a yellow dress that swirled around her and ombre'd to pink. In her hair, which was in two braids on her chest, had a small pin in it, of some random flower.

"I mean, look at us! I don't know what caste you come from, but, like, I never thought I'd ever get to wear a dress this pretty, in a place this nice, surrounded by so much excitement, yanno?" the girl said, grinning widely.

"That's true. As a Four I think I've worn a dress maybe ten times before this," Marielle replied.

The girl's jaw dropped. She didn't just widen her mouth, no, her mouth shot open faster than a pistol. "What? You've only worn a dress _ten_ times? Oh my God, that's like, a literal crime against humanity!"

"I mean, I'm just a farm girl so it's not really that surprising…"

"No, it's horrible! Absolutely criminal!" she screeched, "Thank God you're here, then. It would suck, like, so bad for you to go your life like that. I mean, now you're a Three! I was already a Three, of course, but that doesn't mean this isn't completely insane. Look how freakin' gorgeous this place is. Like _whoa_!"

Marielle blinked. Bejesus this girl could talk. "Umm…"

The girl slammed her hand to her forehead. "Oh my God I'm such an idiot! I never introduced myself! Rhiannon Belmonte's my name!"

"Oh, I'm Marielle Debussy," Marielle replied with a smile, "It's nice to meetcha, Rhiannon! I agree with ya too, this whole situation is crazy."

Rhiannon nodded, and then glanced left and right cautiously, dropping her voice to a dramatic whisper. "Especially with what's going on… you know…"

"What?" Marielle's eyes widened.

"Oh… you didn't hear?" Rhiannon cocked her head to the side, an eager grin spreading across her face.

"Um," Marielle shook her head, "no, I didn't. What is it?"

"Well I _heard_ that there was a…" Rhiannon gasped in one big, melodramatic breath before spitting out. "A murder!"

Marielle's eyebrows shot up. "Whatcha mean? A _murder_? Like, in the castle?"

Rhiannon nodded vigorously. "I know! It's crazy. Crazy and _scary_. Shouldn't they have, like, protection for that?"

Marielle thought for a moment, her hand finding her chin. "Hm, well I'd think that they'd get it covered real fast. I mean, well, these folks are concerned for their own safety, right? And well, d'we even know if this is true? I mean, it really could be just a rumor. I don't think ya should be spreadin' that around."

Rhiannon pouted. "Aw, c'mon, everyone here has a right to know!"

"Maybe if it were true, but we don't know that," Marielle replied.

Rhiannon rolled her eyes at Marielle. "Whatever."

The girl walked away, and a few minutes later Marielle caught her whispering behind her hand to another girl, sneaking glances towards Marielle. Marielle sighed.

 _Trouble always does start when girls flock together,_ Marielle thought. She just hoped there wouldn't be too much drama. She wanted to make friends, not enemies.

-uUu-

Lilac pouted at her closet. The stylists had told her there would be a lot of dresses in there, and there were, but they were so… _boring_. They were all monochrome, for starters, and most were in muted pastels. The few that managed to be vibrant were very typical. Bright red and bright blue, nothing exciting. The accessories she'd dug around to find were equally typical. Tiny little gemstones encased in silver for her ears, neck, wrists, and hair. However, these things weren't the worst items she saw. Those were the shoes. Lined up against the wall of Lilac's closet were twenty-ish pairs of heels, and maybe two pairs of flat. Lilac's eyes skittered down the line, nothing the standard, boring color of each. Black-black-black, cream-cream, black, white, black, gray, cream, white gray. On and on down the row there was nothing of interest.

Lilac sighed at her minimal clothing options and flounced back towards her bed, jumping up and flopping down upon it. The room was boring too. Maroon walls with little gold lines on them, matching bedsheets, and brown floor. The closet door was across from the bed, with a small desk next to it. The room was dull. The clothes were dull. Everything was so _orderly_. Lilac thought going to the castle would be exciting, but so far it had just been monochrome.

 _Knock-Knock-Knock_. "Lady Lilac?" a voice called from outside her door.

"Come in!" Lilac shouted back, happy to have some company. In walked three girls in maid's attire. They bowed deep to Lilac and smiled at her. Two of them, the left and the right one, appeared to be twins, with matching petite features and blonde hair. The third was a head taller than the other two and had sharp eyebrows and eyes, looking a bit cross. They all looked no older than Lilac's age, and as a Six herself it was a bit odd to be served by them.

"Hello! We're going to be your maids for your time here," the middle girl said, grinning to her ears, "I'm Georgeanne, and these are Hadalie, and Susanya. We're going to be your maids."

"It's great to meet you! It's kinda crazy that I'm gonna be having maids!" Lilac smiled. "I'm gonna call you Georgie, Haddie, and Suz, alright?"

"Umm…" Georgeanne replied, "Lady Lilac, I'm not sure if that would be proper."

"There's no saying no!" Lilac cheered, "I give _everyone_ nicknames, and you're no exception, okay?"

"I'm really not sure if our protocol allows that, my Lady," Georgeanne murmured.

Lilac pouted. "I don't care what your protocol allows, Georgie! The nicknames are staying!"

Georgeanne sighed at her childish case. "Oh, alright. If you insist. Well, we're here to go over some things. We'll be serving you constantly, and one of us will stay overnight with you. Your wish is our command. We'll also be doing your makeup and sewing your outfits. As for your roo-"

"You'll be doing my outfits?" Lilac said with a perky grin.

The three maids nodded, and Lilac's grin widened. "Does that mean I can put in requests?"

They nodded again. "I want a rainbow dress. No, scratch that. Tons of rainbow dresses. And no sleeves, tanks only, please. Just think of the gayest, gayest dress you could make, and make, like, ten of them. Please? Oh, and pretty please with a cherry on top give me some new accessories that aren't so… boring? Like hats, and scarves, and everything. Oh! Shoes! Please new shoes? Please? No more dull simple heels! I want boots, and rainbow high-tops. Vintage ones. And flip flops. And _slippers_. Ooh, and make 'em bright. Colorful!"

Georgeanne's wide eyes blinked. "Um, perhaps you'll have to write that all down, Lady Lilac. But yes, we can obtain those… _interesting_ items."

"Eek! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Lilac cheered, throwing her skinny arms wildly around Georgeanne, before doing the same to Hadalie and Susanya. All three maids reacted with the same, stiff confusion. Lilac guessed that the palace life didn't raise one to be all that excitable.

"You're very welcome, Lady Lilac," Georgeanne murmured. "Now, continuing with what I was saying. We are also the people who will renovate your room. It can be completely redesigned, if you wish."

"Completely redesigned?" Lilac grinned. Perhaps this place wouldn't be so mute after all.

-uUu-

Jennfyr drummed her fingers on the desk. They were in their first lesson with Silvia, the perky and annoying woman who'd been set out to monitor them. It was only the day after the makeovers, yet they were already slaving away learning how to be poise and proper.

"You're going to be meeting Princess Katalina tomorrow, ladies! You need to pick this up quick!" Silvia would cry out, snapping her fingers at the rows of Selected. "This is need to know content! Need. To. Know!"

Jennfyr was tuning out Silvia's blather, as were the girls next to her. Charlotte Terracotta, a tan girl with a very pointed nose, was picking at her nails, and Elyn Mortissio whispered out of the corner of her mouth to the girl on the other side of her. All around the room girls were trying to find ways to entertain themselves while Silvia babbled on about proper arm positions, or something equally obscure. Jennfyr didn't really know anymore. A lock of brown hair falling down the side of her face made her jump. She kept forgetting that they'd dyed it. She wasn't sure how much she liked the change. She wasn't really sure of anything here.

The opportunity the Selection offered had been too much to pass up, especially considering she was a young, lonely bi girl. But already she felt as though it was all over her head. The presence of the other girls and their drama was positively suffocating, not to mention her own personal problems… but those didn't matter right now.

"Lady Jennfyr!" Silvia cried out.

" _Um_ …" Jennfyr mumbled.

"Would you like me to repeat the question, Miss Gallaway?" Silvia said snidely.

"Um, yes…"

"Yes what?"

"Yes please, ma'am."

"Hmph, very well then," Silvia sniveled, "Why are the changes in taxation and workforce laws that our third ruling monarchs, Haverd Coxworth and successor Jaime Coxworth, made still relevant in modern-day society?"

Jennfyr's eyes widened. What an absurd question! How was she supposed to know this? Even the scholarly Threes around the room looked confused. As a Two she'd never even bothered studying history, she'd only been trained to write songs. "I don't know."

Silvia rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Clearly. Does anyone else know the answer?"

A single hand shot up. "Lady Athena?"

"The changes the Coxworths made are still relevant because they reduced the tax on lower castes as well as allowed for promotion without extra taxation for anyone below a Four. This meant that the poor and impoverished could have a chance to make more money without fear of losing money because of it."

"Very good. Lady Jennfyr, perhaps you should study up a bit more before our next lesson."

Jennfyr rolled her eyes. How exactly was she expected to "study up" when she didn't even know where the library was? This whole thing seemed ridiculous to her. Only the Threes ever received a truly proper and extensive education, and for anyone else they were stuck with the facts they'd picked up in their youth. Besides, at this stage in the competition intelligence really didn't matter all that much. Each of the girls was equally unlikely to become the future co-queen, so why bother smartening them up? Maybe when there were fifteen girls it would make sense, but right now it was useless.

Jennfyr sighed. This whole thing seemed quite ridiculous to her, especially the lessons. But at least there was something to look forward to. That night at dinner, they'd catch their first glimpse of Princess Katalina, and the next day they would finally meet her.

At least Jennfyr had something to look forward to.

-uUu-

Kat sighed tiredly as she stumbled out of the private jet. Home, finally. The entire trip had seemed pretty useless, seeing as the diplomacy had pretty much already been figured out, but whatever. Maybe they just needed a figurehead. In a few hours she'd see all of the girls for the first time in person. She wouldn't need to talk to them, though, at least. She was nervous. What if they didn't like her? What if they were all just straight girls wanting some fame? Well, she knew that wasn't true about some of them. Lysa Pinegrove and Cameo Howard had been out already, but otherwise she was unsure. She also needed to know their names. There were thirty-five girls there for her, and she was expected to recognize and address them properly. It was incredibly stressful.

Kat's plane had landed before schedule, so her schedules was clear of all duties for another hour. While her body begged her to relax, lay down, maybe take a nap, she knew that she had to work on the girls' names. Hopefully Alder wasn't busy, for he'd promised to help here with flashcards. She made her way tiredly to his room, nodding at the passing guards. There were more here, now. The newest enlistment had come in, and she'd bargained her way into getting extra security because of the Selection. Hopefully, _hopefully_ it would prevent any incidents like… the previous one, which she tried very hard not to think about.

Kat rapped her hand lightly on Alder's door when she finally arrived at it. She waited a few moments, but there was no answer. She really hoped he wasn't out, but Berlin would probably suffice to help her (if her sister was willing). She knocked again, to no reply.

"Alder?" she called out. No answer. She fiddled with the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked. She pushed her way in and then stopped.

In the middle of the bed, Alder lay there, surrounded by red. His shirt stained red. A knife from his stomach. Black paint on his walls. _God hates fa._ Kat screamed.

 **Thanks for reading this chapter! Defo not my best one. Reminder that I'm still accepting characters (PLEASE SUBMIT MORE CHARACTERS). Also every time I get a new review I get really happy sooo… Another note, the "God hates fa" is not a typo. I love everyone who's read this far! Thank you so much!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hiya! Thank you so much for reading this far! I know nine chapters isn't exactly a lot but usually I have like negative twelve commitment to stories I write, so it's pretty good for me. Please submit more characters! If you already submitted one, send in a second!**

 **The more characters I get the less inclined I am to kill off your favorite characters. Think of it that way.**

 **Speaking of which, I did get a nice number of characters recently, and as such…**

Kat screamed. Her head was dizzy and her eyes blurry. She stumbled towards Alder's bed and Alder's body. Turning her head away from her friend, she vomited on the floor. Loud footsteps and shouts echoed behind her, but she heard them as though underwater. She didn't even cry, her brain couldn't process it. The only thing consuming her thoughts was a since word. _No_.

She'd known him forever. His father, Sir Bartley was one of her father's advisors, and had been for as long as Kat was alive. She'd liked him because he was quiet and thought before he spoke. He'd introduced her to his son when she was five, and they'd been joined at the hip ever since. He'd been there when she broke her mother's vase and wasn't allowed to eat for a week, sneaking her food every day. He'd been there when the daughter of a French royal had humiliated her at her own birthday. He'd been there for her when she was just discovering herself, staying up with her all night on her bed until she finally told him she was gay, and he told her the same thing. They painted each other's nails and laughed until their stomachs hurt, or they cried to each other and whispered their greatest fears to each other. He was her best friend, and she needed him.

Guards moved quickly all around her, shouting at each other, but Kat didn't register the individual words. She curled up in a ball on the floor, next to the bed where Alder lay. She didn't look at him. She didn't want to see the blood. One of the guards picked up Alder and ran out of the room. Kat didn't move. She stayed there, staring at the door in which the guard had carried Alder away through. A few of the guards tried to talk to her, but she ignored them. She simply stayed there, unmoving, her brain imploding upon itself.

She was not removed from this compressing haze until she felt a light hand on her shoulder. "Kat."

If it had been anyone else she would have ignored them like she did the guards, but Berlin didn't deserve that treatment. Kat looked up at her sister.

"He's not dead," Berlin said, looking Katalina in the eyes, "He still has a pulse. He's still breathing."

"W-What?" Kat croaked.

"They took him to the castle hospital. He lost a lot of blood, but this is the 22nd century. We have the medical technology for that. He's going to be asleep for awhile, but he'll be fine."

Finally, tears came to Kat, but they were tears of relief. She wasn't going to lose him. Her best friend would be fine. Berlin offered her a hand up, and Katalina took it. She felt weak, dead, and all she truly wanted to do was lie down and pass out, but her best friend was in a hospital bed right then, and she needed to go see him. She and Berlin silently walked to the castle's hospital, Berlin supporting her with her arm.

When they arrived at the hospital, it broke Kat's heart to see Alder connected to the machines, asleep, without a shirt but the majority of his chest covered by bandages. How could someone be so cruel? Just because Alder was gay? A small pile of flowers sat at the foot of the bed. Kat turned to an attendant and ordered them to fetch some purple irises- Alder's favorite. She plopped down in the chair next to his hospital bed.

"How long until we're supposed to be at dinner..?" Kat asked Berlin.

Berlin shrugged. "Technically in fifteen minutes, but I don't think we have to. I mean, that would be so dumb."

"Can you ask for us to be excused?"

"I think I'm going to go anyways. Isn't this supposed to be your first dinner with the _girls_?" Berlin waggled her eyebrows. "It'd probably freak 'em out if both of us failed on showing up. Something'd obvi be wrong. Besides, how am I supposed to judge them if I don't see them?"

Kat laughed slightly, and Berlin grinned. "You do realize I'm the one picking, right?"

Berlin stuck out her tongue. "My opinions are better. Anyways I gotta get outta here if I'm gonna make dinner on time. I'll ask Mom and Dad to excuse you."

Once Berlin had left the little cheering up she had done to Kat faded. She stared at her friends sleeping form and felt heartbroken. It had happened again. Just for being gay, Alder had been attacked. And how had the attacker even known? Sure, Alder was out to the important people in his life, but he didn't exactly broadcast his queerness. For someone to find out that easily, and attack so smoothly… it was terrifying. Kat not only feared for herself and Alder, but for every girl in the Selection as well. Kat locked eyes with an attendant and asked them to send a message to her father. She wanted two guards outside every Selecteds' room, her room, Alder's room, the hospital, and any other openly LGBT person in the castle. And if he were to protest, the attendant was to remind him of the significantly larger draft they'd had. The attendant hurried off with a nod. Kat hoped Alder had gotten a good look at his attack as well, especially if it was rotten Byrrel.

Kat felt suddenly aware of just how tired she was. Surely there wouldn't be a problem if she slept for a little bit. Alder looked dead asleep and probably wouldn't wake up in that time. Her eyelids drooped over her eyes, and Katalina sank into the deep black abyss of sleep.

-uUu-

Carolynn's maids danced around her, doing final touches on her hair, makeup, and jewelry. It was the first dinner in just half an hour and Katalina would be there. She'd decided to turn up the heat early, and wore a long body tight red dress. The plunging neckline exposed her ample cleavage and the nonexistent back highlighted her shoulderblades. A long slit ran up the side of the dress, all the way to her upper thigh, exposing a great amount of leg as well as her matching red stilettos. Her dyed blonde hair was piled in an intricate updo on her head. She'd had her maids spend about an hour contouring both her shoulders and her breasts to create the perfect, sensual look that she assumed all lesbians would die for. She wouldn't know.

"Well, Lady Carolynn, I think you are all done," one of Carolynn's maids, Rubie, said, "You should get going soon. It would look very bad to be late on your first day."

Carolynn nodded, and after a last inspection of herself she stepped away from the mirror. She looked gorgeous, and the princess would be stunned. Step one to getting remembered? Always make a powerful first impression. She stepped out of her castle room and rolled her shoulders back. _Confidence_.

Her maids led her to the main dining area, Carolynn runway strutting the entire time just in case someone of importance walked by. A few of the other girls were already there, waiting outside the doors. Carolynn recognized them as Tatiana Redding, Juana Cook, Athena Cyr, Jennfyr Gallaway, and Eyrie Doctor. They all looked various levels of nervous, particularly Tatiana and Jennfyr. Carolynn, on the other hand, felt barely any nervousness. These girls had dressed fairly conservatively, and if the others followed suit, then Katalina's eyes would be drawn right to her.

None of the girls spoke a word to one another as more and more Selected joined the group. The aura of stress compiled more and more upon them, knowing that first impressions were very important- especially with royals. Everyone's eyes shifted between each other with nervous glances. Slowly, the pile of girls grew until every single girl was there. A few were dressed more like Carolynn- Moreena Challis, Jezka Adimin, and Elita Carpenter -but mostly they were just in pretty, girly dresses. She just had to beat out Jezka, Elita, and Moreena, and then the attention would all be on her.

After a few more minutes, Silvia exited the dining room and reminded them of everything she'd gone over- table manners, addressing the royals, etcetera, etcetera. After going through it all about twice, she pushed open the door and let them enter, instructing them to find their names. Carolynn was placed next to two girls she hadn't yet talked to, Hanna Porter and Nova Dyre. Hanna seemed fairly quiet while Nova was just sort of odd. Hanna had straight brown hair ( _Boring!_ ) and glasses, and was wearing one of the most conservative dresses in the room. Nova Dyre's hair was _electric blue_ which Carolynn thought was absolutely ridiculous. She just sort of looked at them with a knowing smile, not truly engaging in conversation but not being unfriendly either.

It was a few minutes before any of the royals entered. When they did, however, Carolynn's jaw dropped. There they were, orderly and in a line… Queen Aledonna, King Tyran and the young Princess Berlin. Nowhere to be seen was Katalina. Maybe this was some sort of special thing for the Selection where Katalina would come out later. That was probably it.

However, Carolynn's hopes were wrong. A few seconds after the royals sat down at the head table, Queen Aledonna stood up.

"Welcome, girls, to the Selection of our very own Princess Katalina Beaumont. We're very excited to have you here. This dinner will begin the first step of a completely changed life for you, even after the Selection. While you're here, as I'm sure you've been briefed upon, you're expected to be on your absolute best behavior. Silvia, Princess Kat, and the rest of us shall be watching and examining throughout the process. The future co-Queen is expected to be mature and graceful, so it is within your best wishes to embody these traits. Finally, many of you have noticed that Princess Kat is not here right now. She had a personal emergency and won't be having dinner with us. However, you will still be meeting her tomorrow. Now, let our first dinner begin!" Aledonna called out. She sounded only half-sincere, and her smile looked frosty and plastered upon her face.

Carolynn was furious. All this word she'd had done on her to make her stand out was just a waste of time. What could possibly be more important than the Selection? How was she supposed to impress Katalina… or _Kat_ as the Queen had called her… if she didn't show up? Carolynn ate in brooding silence as the other girls chattered quietly around her. How could they be okay with this? Shouldn't royals have to hold their word? And they should have _at least_ told them what this oh-so-important "personal emergency" was. Carolynn was the first one back to her room after the meal. She peeled off her seductive dress with the help of her maids, and then sized them up. She turned to Teala, her maid with the most similar proportions to her, and smirked.

"Lady Carolynn?" Teala asked.

"Give me your maid outfit," Carolynn said.

" _What?_ " all three of Carolynn's maids, Teala, Rubie, and Mimosa cried out.

"Lady Carolynn, ma'am, I don't think that's proper," Rubie said nervously, "And why do you want to switch with her?"

Carolynn rolled her eyes. "I said give it to me."

"U-Um… okay…" Teala stuttered.

Teala removed her maid garment and handed it to Carolynn, who put it on. "Teala, wear one of my nightdresses. Lay on the bed, and face away from the door. You're going to pretend to be me for just a bit. Rubie, Mimosa, send people away if they try to enter, no matter who it is."

"Lady Carolynn, what are you trying to do?" Rubie frowned. "This seems entirely against our Code of Conduct."

"You have to obey my every wish, yes?" Carolynn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"W-Well, technically yes, if it is within reason…" Rubie muttered, looking at the ground.

Carolynn grinned. "Great. So you'll do this, and you won't tell anyone about this little incident. That's a command."

"But Lady Carolynn," Mimosa frowned, "what exactly are you going to do?"

"Just a little exploring of the castle. Nothing bad, I promise." Carolynn smiled at them reassuringly.

"B-But-" Mimosa began.

"Technically there's nothing against this in our rules, Mimi," Rubie said, "As long as she isn't doing harm, we have to obey her."

"Perfect," Carolynn said with a smirk, "Now I'll be off."

Keeping her head down, Carolynn made her way through the castle in her maid's garb. She had no idea where she was going but she knew one thing. She was going to find out why exactly Princess Kat had neglected to show up at the dinner. It was her right as a Selected to know. Being raised by a journalist meant she felt that the people had an inherent right to seek the truth, and Carolynn exercised hers regularly.

Walking quickly through the halls, Carolynn quickly realized the castle was much bigger than she had anticipated. She went up staircases, down elevators, through main halls and skinny little ones, all over, and couldn't find anything suspicious or out of place. This personal emergency of Kat's was nowhere to be seen. She kept wandering, however, determined to find out why Princess Kat hadn't shown up.

"It's very scary, I can't believe he almost died!"

"I know… if she had found him any later…"

Carolynn snapped her head in the direction of the conversation. Two maids looked deeply engrossed in their gossip. Someone almost died? And a girl saved him? This might just be the emergency that had kept Kat away from dinner. Carolynn supposed a near-death was a valid enough reason.

"Is he out of the hospital wing yet?"

"By God, Sallie, of course not! He hasn't even woken up yet!"

"I was just wondering. He's the woman I server, you know."

So this drama was centered around a boy in the hospital wing. If Carolynn could find that, she'd find her answers. She put on a confident smile, rolled back her shoulders, and walked towards the two maids.

"Excuse me, I'm new. Could one of you perchance direct me to the hospital? I'm supposed to replace the… uh… old medicine!" Carolynn proclaimed, faltering just once.

"Oh, of course!" The older of the two maids said, "We're pretty close. Just head down this hall, a left at the first intersection, another left, and keep going straight and you should get to it!"

"Thanks," Carolynn replied.

 _Too easy_ , she thought. When she was younger, before she'd been demoted to a Four, she'd dreamed of following her mother's footsteps as a journalist, and thought she'd make a mighty fine one. She felt like one again today, seeking out the story and going above and beyond to find the answers.

She followed the path the maid had directed her on, until she came upon a large double glass door marked _Hospital_. She pushed her way in, and walked around the lobby of the castle hospital, unsure of where to go next. She walked through the halls randomly, keeping her head down and peering into rooms. Many of them were unoccupied, but a few contained injured or sick patients making it awkward if she locked eyes with one of them. She thought she had run out of rooms to check when she finally made her way to a closed door at the end of a hall. She opened the door just the tiniest bit and peered through the crack. There she was. Princess Kat sat in a plush chair, curled up and presumably asleep. From what she could see, there was a boy sitting in the hospital bed next to her, talking to someone out of sight. Carolynn pressed her ear against the door and listened.

"So you have no idea who?"

"Not at all, their entire face was masked."

"How terrible, we don't even have a lead from this. At least this time the situation didn't result in a death.

"I just feel so lucky she found me in time, especially since she wasn't even supposed to be back yet."

"Do you want to wake her up? I'm sure she'd want to talk to you. She was quite literally sick with worry."

"No, no… Kat needs her rest, she doesn't deal well with stress."

"Still, she'll want to know as much about the… attempted murder… as possible."

Carolynn slapped a hand on her mouth to keep herself from gasping. An attempted murder! Now this… _this_ was a story. Inside the castle someone had been almost killed. Didn't the girls have a right to know? What if they were in danger? It wasn't fair to them to be trapped here, blindly walking the halls like this. Carolynn jumped away from the door at the sound of footsteps approaching it.

"I'll be back soon, alright?"

Carolynn quickly darted away from the door and around the corner. She had to tell the other girls. If someone had been attacked in the castle, where there was supposed to be amazing security, wouldn't the girls be in danger too? They had a right to know…

And Carolynn was going to help exercise that right.

-uUu-

Athena peered over the top of her book and looked at the other girls. She didn't know many of their names yet, as none of them had come up to her and she hadn't gone up to them. The only people she knew were the girls she'd sat nearby at dinner- Fleur Lee, Eyrie Doctor, and Lucya Ruminov. She didn't know much about them outside of their polite small talk, but she didn't like Eyrie very much, as as soon as the meal had started Eyrie had given her a sharp glare. She really wanted to make friends with these girls, but it didn't seem like they'd like her very much. Athena was bookish and curious, and these girls seemed more talkative and gossipy than anything else.

"Whatcha readin'?" A girl asked from behind Athena, startling her. The girl leaned over the back of the chair and stared Athena right in her eyes. She had long, curly brown hair with one ringlet dyed rainbow from top to bottom. She was dressed quite… eccentrically. She was wearing white jean overalls, but as a dress, and a rainbow tye-dye shirt underneath. She looked quite out of place among all of the formally dressed girls.

Athena blinked at the odd girl. "The Holy Bible."

Another girl, Asian with femininely cut short hair and a rather sour expression on her face looked up from the sketchbook she'd been drawing in. "The Holy Bible? I mean, really? What're you trying to do, convert us all?"

Athena smiled sharply at the two girls. "If anyone here is willing to listen to what I have to say, then sure."

"You do realize where we are, right?" the short-haired girl said, arching a brow.

"I'm well aware, thank you," Athena replied, her demeanor edging slowly towards cold, "And, believe it or not, Christianity is _not_ a conflict with homosexuality."

"The belief system itself, sure. Dragging around a bible with you and spending all your time reading it? _That_ is what makes me suspicious." The girl crossed her arms.

Athena stared the girl down. "If you have a problem with what I am reading, feel free to excuse yourself."

"Maybe I will." The girl stood up and left, looking livid.

"I don't know what's up with her!" the other girl said, "I mean, like, your beliefs are your beliefs! It looked like she was already in a bad mood, though, and I'm pretty good at reading people! I don't think it was you."

Athena sighed. "I guess so. I've gotten depressingly used to people trying to cause conflict between my faith and my identity."

"Aww," the girl said. "That really sucks. I'm Lilac! What's your name?"

"Athena. Athena Cyr." Athena replied, smiling. A lot of people usually gave her shit over being gay and being religious, but Lilac seemed really chill and accepting.

"It's great to meetcha, Athena!" Lilac grinned. Athena noticed her eyes flicker over to where the rude girl had been sitting, and Athena followed her gaze.

"She left her notebook," Athena stated. She stood up and walked over to the sketchbook, considering whether or not to look. On the one hand, sketchbooks were usually fairly quiet, private things. On the other, the girl had been very rude, and did Athena really care about her privacy at this point? Athena shrugged, it wasn't as if it would matter that much. I mean, would the girl even find out she'd seen it?

When Athena looked at the open page on the sketchbook, her eyes widened. It was the most handsome, gorgeous and lifelike drawing of a high-fashion suit she'd ever seen. Damn, that girl could draw. The person who the suit was on was clearly her, and very lifelike indeed. Athena didn't really like the idea of suits on girls, and thought this one was particularly manly, but it was a very solid design.

"Cameo Howard," Lilac said.

"Huh?"

Lilac pointed to the corner of the page. "That's her name, Cameo Howard. I've heard of her before! She's a high-profile fashion designer."

"Now that you mention it, I think I've heard of her too." Athena frowned. "I saw her on TV once, and she _did_ look pretty cold."

"Well, I always say, the coldest people are the most hurt! Imma be extra nice to her, just cuz!" Lilac grinned.

"Yeah, because someone with that much confidence is definitely hurt. But that's whatever. I came here expecting there would be some rude people." Athena said with a slight smile, "Anyways, while we're talking…"

"Could I interest you in some theological discussion?"

-uUu-

When Kat drowsily opened her eyes, the first thing she felt was relief. The second thing she felt? Fury.

"Alder! You're okay! Why did you not wake me up?!" It took all of her strength not to tackle Alder in a bear hug, but she knew it would only hurt him.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Alder said, waving his hands in front of himself. "I thought you needed some rest, okay? You looked like it." His voice sounded hoarse and in pain, which hurt Kat almost physically.

"I'm so happy you're okay… I was so worried… oh, my God, how did this happen?" Kat frowned.

"I really don't know. I was reading a fashion magazine and then suddenly this person barges into my room- which was _locked_ -and they're wearing a mask and I can't see their face and they tackle me and tie me to my own bed… and then they fucking stabbed me, Kat. What the fuck? I passed out soon after…" Alder looked pale and weak, his eyes sunken and his breaths ragged.

"Why would someone do that? Even if you hate gays… isn't that a bit extreme? And how did they even know… did you come out to anyone recently?" Kat asked.

Alder shook his head. "A lot of people already know, though. I mean, remember how even your parents caught me with a guy once."

Kat buried her face in her hands. "I just don't understand why someone would do this. I've ordered guards outside your room and the rooms of all the Selected, but if they can get into your _locked_ room… I'm not sure if it's enough."

"We need to investigate, Kat. This can't keep on going. We're all in danger," Alder replied, and Kat nodded.

Someone else's voice spoke loudly throughout Alder's room. "I came to bring you some flowers, Alder, but, uh, if this is a bad time, Your Highness."

Alder and Kat turned their heads towards the door and both cried out in unison. "Talon?"

 **Hey! Sorry this chapter didn't focus on more of you guys' characters. I had that great idea for Carolynn, and I couldn't resist writing it seeing as I've written her in before but I haven't actually given her much time! I felt like I was neglecting such an awesome character, but more of yours' will be featured in the next one. In fact, every single character I've gotten so far will show up, since they'll be meeting Kat for the first time!**

 **Also I'm extending your character limits to three, you can submit ~THREE~ whole characters. Because I'm nice. And also desperate. Also I am literally about to start writing the next chapter as soon as this goes up, so there should be another update soon.**

 **Please submit more characters! Think of it as an early Christmas gift… just a month early.**

 **Thank you, I love you so much for reading this!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Heyyy! It feels weird writing this into cuz I literally just wrote the outro for the other one, so if you're looking for something new from me… sorry. I'm just going to assume you guys sent more characters and say thanks!**

Kat was shocked. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be at his home, mourning Taliyah? And why was he wearing… guard's clothes?

"Oh, you're Talon, right? From Kat's party?" Alder asked. "I'm so sorry about your sister…"

"What are you doing back here?" Kat blinked. "Not that it isn't lovely to see you, I just thought you might like some… distance."

Talon scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, that's what I was trying to get when I volunteered for the new draft. Being back home without Taliyah sucked… but when they placed me, I guess I did too well… now I'm here."

"I could request that you be moved somewhere else," Kat suggested.

Talon shook his head. "No, no… I've decided that I need to be here. To be where she last was to truly move on… and I want to find the motherfucker who did it. Especially now that he hurt you, Alder."

Kat noticed Alder's cheeks redden just the tiniest bit, and she stifled a giggle, before returning to a serious expression. "I agree. I was planning to investigate… I have a few suspects in mind."

Alder rolled his eyes. "It's not Byrrel. He wouldn't be that obvious, Kat."

Kat shrugged. "It never hurts to look into the lead." She then turned to Talon. "Would you mind if I requested you be assigned outside of Alder's room?"

"Not at all," Talon replied smoothly, "Speaking of my guard duties. I really need to get back to work." Talon laid the flowers- purple jasmine -at the foot of Alder's bed with the rest of them, waved once, and exited the room. "Seeya later."

Once Talon had left the room, Alder looked into Kat's eyes and said, "Damn, he's cute. Probably straight though."

Kat smiled slightly. "I wouldn't be so sure. He asked me if you were gay at my party and seemed rather interested." Her face fell to a serious look. "But I wouldn't be so sure about going for him, Ald. He just lost his sister."

Alder nodded solemnly. "I know. I won't. I was just… wondering."

"Mhm, sure," Kat said, rolling her eyes.

There was a loud knock on the door, and, without waiting for response, the knocker pushed through. Queen Aledonna stood, hands on her hips, glowering down at Kat and Alder. "How long exactly do you plan to stay in here, Katalina?"

"Uh… I don't know?"

"You managed to evade dinner through Berlin, but we're not pushing back you meeting the girls. If you want to actually look decent tomorrow, I recommend going to bed. _Now_."

"But Mom…"

"No. Now, you self-centered homosexual. Go."

It honestly took a lot of effort for Kat not to giggle at the insult. _Self-centered homosexual_. That was a new one. "Alright… I'll see you tomorrow, Alder."

"The meeting with the girls has also been moved to breakfast tomorrow, Kat. Do _not_ be late, or there _will_ be repercussions."

"Yes, mother…" Kat mumbled. Not only was she not allowed to stay with Alder, but the meeting was at breakfast… meaning she'd have to get up at around six for hair and makeup, and the girls would as well. Great way to make them dislike her. She sighed and walked back to her room, waving one last time at Alder before she left. On her way back, she sent a messenger to the Head Guard, ordering him to assign Talon outside Alder's hospital room, and to remember to have two guards on each of the girls' rooms. When she got back to her room, she laid down under the navy sheets and tried to sleep. She tried her very best to just cancel her thoughts, close her eyes, and sink into oblivion but she just couldn't. Tomorrow she'd meet the girls. Her parents had made it very clear she was expected to initiate an elimination after the original meeting. She didn't know how she'd go about that… how would she even know them enough to make a decision? What if she messed up, and her soulmate was sent home? Or worse, what if none of the girls liked her at all? These thoughts kept her up late into the night, and it was because of them that she heard footsteps outside her door at about two in the morning. She knew her guards were very quiet people, and it couldn't be them… so who would be up at two? She snuck out of bed and peered through her peephole, from which she saw the quickly moving figure of Reice Byrrel scurrying by. Where on earth could he be going at a time like this?

After waiting a few moments Kat pulled on her slippers and unlatched her door, exiting and smiling at the guards outside. "Need to use the bathroom. Don't mind." They nodded. She headed in the direction Byrrel had went, thankful that it was the same as the nearest bathroom and peered around the dark corner. She saw him turn at the end of that hallway and followed him through the castle. She followed him up and down staircases, through main halls and through tiny little offhand ones until they finally arrived at the servant's door at the back of the castle.

 _Why is he at the servant's door? Why not use the main doors? This is so frickin' sus,_ Kat thought.

He waited there for a few minutes, before a dark black car with tinted windows pulled up, and he got into the backseat. The car roared away quickly, taking Byrrel with it, and leaving Kat utterly confused. She stood there pondering for a few moments, trying to conjure up a rational explanation for Byrrel's behavior, but simply couldn't. It very dubious behavior to say the least. However, Kat realized just how illogical it was for her to be wasting time she could be using to sleep, and headed back up to her room.

"Quite the long bathroom trip, Your Highness," one of the guards said.

Kat inwardly grumbled before throwing him a coy smile. "Lady problems."

The guard let out a noise of shock and actually stumbled back a bit. "S-Sorry Your Highness!"

Kat entered her room and closed the door before exploding in a fit of giggles. _Boys_. After her laughter faded, she attempted to calm herself down as much as possible. She wanted to sleep, not lay awake some more. She lay down in her bed once more, and finally, after a long night, she slept.

-uUu-

Though you wouldn't guess it from the hallway, the south corridor of the third floor was abuzz with activity. In every single room there was a girl getting bathed, primed, polished, and dressed as quickly as possible. They were rehearsing what they were going to say, yelling at their maids for being too slow, and for some of them… just sort of panicking. For you see, the south corridor of the third floor was where all of the Selected girls were staying, and in just one hour they were going to breakfast, where they were to meet- and actually _talk to_ -Princess Katalina for the first time.

However, it was not just the girls who were nervous. In her own room, Princess Kat was having her makeup done, shaking just the tiniest bit, nervous for what was to come.

"But what if they don't like me?" Kat frowned.

"They will. And Kat, you've asked that question, like, ten times by now?" Berlin yawned. "I wouldn't have agreed to get up this earlier if I'd known all of these questions would happen."

"Ber, you showed up of your own accord," Kat replied.

Berlin stuck out her tongue. "I'm making sure you don't flip out and have, like, a panic attack or something. You should be thankful."

"And I am. Mostly."

"Mostly?!"

The two girls giggled before Yvette shushed them. "Your shaking is messing up the eyeshadow!"

"Sorry, Yvette, sorry, Adina," Kat said.

Yvette sighed. "All good, Your Highness."

They were going for a simple look, today. Traditional makeup, which for her was a full face. Her hair was going to be out plain, but they'd styled some full waves into it. She'd be wearing a jade green dress with asscher cut moissanites framing a sweeping pattern onto the dress. The deep green color brought out her eyes, and she had jades in her small tiara to match.

"You look gorge!" Berlin grinned. "I bet I'd look better, though!"

"Berlin, we look exactly the same." Kat rolled her eyes.

"But I carry myself better!" Berlin said, flipping her hair.

"If you think sassier is better, than sure."

"Oh, it definitely is."

The two girls giggled once more, as Adina added one more bobby pin onto Kat's crown. "Well, you're all done Your Highness. With thirty minutes to spare. Off you go, now, I'm guess you'll want to be early."

Kat nodded, and she and Berlin exited her room and headed down to the dining hall. The entire time Kat wondered about what Byrrel had been doing. She really wanted to talk to Alder, but that wasn't an option at the moment. She thought perhaps she could tell Berlin, but she didn't want all of Ber's little friends to know too.

Berlin skidded to a halt and turned sharply to face Kat. "You're keeping something from me."

Kat blinked. "Dunno what you mean, Ber."

"Yep. You do, you're so easy to read, Kat!" Berlin stood on her tiptoes (but still was much shorter than Kat) and pointed her finger up in Kat's face. "You're keeping something big!"

Kat frowned.

Berlin sighed. "Not gonna share, are ya? That's okay. I'm sure you'll tell me sooner or later."

Kat was suddenly thankful for her sister, who could read her so easily. She knew that she could tell Berlin anything, but that Berlin would also respect her privacy. She knew some girls in the castle who were always bickering with their sisters, and she felt lucky it wasn't like that with Berlin. Sure, they had their little fights, but she and Berlin always had each other's backs. The two kept on walking towards the breakfast hall, and when they arrived an attendant smiled at them.

"Ah, the two princesses! Welcome, your Highnesses. So, Princess Berlin, you will be sitting at the head table per usual, and you can go on in now." Her sister followed the man's commands. "But you, Princess Katalina, will be sitting at a smaller table off to the side, and you'll have small, five minute conversations with each girl. Afterwards you will eliminate about five to ten of them, alright?"

Kat nodded, sickness growing in the pit of her stomach. She should have studied the girls' names more… she was definitely going to forget some of them mid-conversation. She walked into the dining hall and headed over to the small table. Now, all she could do was wait. After what felt like an eternity, the girls began to slowly drift into the dining hall. The sat down in order of their province, and, when they were all finally there, the girl from Allens rose and sat in front of her.

"Hello, Your Highness." The girl curtsied.

 _Shoot_ , Kat thought. They'd started her off with a hard one, she didn't remember the girl's name. Attempting to cover it, she threw on a winning smile. "Forgive me, but I seem to be blanking on your name."

"Oh, I-I'm Uma Teacher." The girl frowned.

"It's so pleasant to meet you, Lady Uma. Please tell me about yourself," Kat replied, feeling so very guilty about forgetting this girl's name. Lady Uma turned out to be a very boring person, the most Three Three there ever was. Kat wasn't sure there was much notable about this girl, but she felt quite terrible for forgetting her name. Despite the lacking conversation, when Lady Uma left Kat decided she wouldn't eliminate her, more out of guilt than out of interest.

The next girl to arrive, from Angeles itself, was Lady Jennfyr Gallaway. Thankfully Kat knew Lady Jennfyr's name. "Lady Jennfyr, how pleasant it is to meet you!"

Lady Jennfyr curtsied. "I can certainly say the same to you."

Lady Jennfyr was gorgeous. She had beautiful, wavy auburn hair and big blue eyes. She had full lips and high cheekbones.

"Are you, by any chance, a model, Lady Jennfyr?" Kat asked.

Jennfyr giggled and blushed. "I am, indeed, Your Highness."

Kat smiled. "Please, call me Kat."

Kat found Lady Jennfyr engaging and a wonder to talk to, learning that Lady Jennfyr was a low profile model who'd much rather be behind the camera than in front of it, and who had a passion for photography. She also learned, quite awkwardly, that she'd mispronounced Lady Jennfyr's name. It was Jenn-feer, not Jenn-fir.

Next up was Lady Cameo Howard, from Atlin. Kat's first reaction to seeing Lady Cameo could be summed up in one word. _Damn_. She'd been breathtaking on screen, but in real life there was no word for how utterly hot Lady Cameo was. Kat had always had a thing for butch girls, and seeing Lady Cameo show up in a suit with short cut hair made Kat's heart stop for a second. Seeing Kat's reaction to her, Lady Cameo flashed a cocky smirk.

"Hey there, Princess." Lady Cameo plopped down in the seat across from Kat, doing what could only be labeled as 'manspreading'. Lady Cameo's conversation skills definitely weren't lacking, and she seemed very witty, but still very polite to Kat. She'd thought that it would be hard for Lady Jennfyr to be topped, but found herself staring at Lady Cameo as she walked away.

Lady Elyn Mortissio was next, and she was a fairly plain person with a fairly plain personality. She mostly just relied on Kat to steer the conversation, a trait that Kat didn't like all that much. After Lady Elyn was Lady Hanna Porter, a cutely nerdy awkward girl who made Kat smile with her social ineptitude. Kat asked her for her favorite books, and was happy to realize they shared some in common. Lady Charlotte Terracotta was next, a loud and overbearing girl whose personality was through the roof. She grinned widely at Kat throughout the entire conversation.

After Lady Charlotte was Lady Rhiannon Belmonte of Bonita, who Kat definitely thought was very pretty. She was petite with little bust or butt, but she had a very lovely face (though her expression did look a bit sad, her eyes angled down). Her personality, like Lady Charlotte's, was very big, though in a different way. She asked just a few too many personal questions about Katalina, which made Kat just a little nervous.

A few more girls passed by without notice, until Lady Nova Dyre of Carolina appeared. Wow, this girl was something else. She had bright blue hair and a rather dramatic appearance that made her look mysterious and very pretty. Kat was immediately intrigued with her coy and quiet smile, and Lady Nova kept steering the conversation back to Kat every time it turned to her. When she walked away Kat was certainly not quick to forget her. More girls passed quickly, such as Lady Fleur Lee, who seemed a bit standoffish and not that interested in Kat, and Lady Muriel Teach, a girl who looked alarmingly young and wore too much makeup. Lady Elita Carpenter, a girl with pretty eyes and a tendency to stutter was next, followed by Lady Lysa Pinegrove.

Lady Lysa was pretty, of course, as all actresses were, but she seemed sad in a way that Kat couldn't quite understand. Maybe this was just her natural demeanor, but Kat felt an aura of melancholy surrounding her. She did still make good conversation though, she just seemed sort of exhausted.

The girl who followed Lady Lysa was her complete opposite. Lady Lilac Nichols practically raced up to Kat. She looked very eccentric in her electric yellow minidress with a cat ears headband sticking up from her wild curly brown hair. She had one rainbow curl, clearly representing her gay pride, and she seemed to bounce when she talked. She was excitable and very happy to meet Kat, calling her an 'icon'.

After Lady Lilac came Lady Athena, a nerdy girl who tried to… talk to Kat about religion? Kat was very confused, and mostly just bs-ed her way through the conversation. After that it was onto Lady Carolynn Lackson, who smirked at her. She seemed as though she knew some special secret, which made Kat very wary. She was still polite though, and didn't leave Kat too suspicious. When Lady Carolynn was gone, Lady Moreena Challis approached her. A famous and popular singer, Berlin had even spoken about how excited she was to meet Lady Moreena. Lady Moreena made good and engaging conversation, and left Kat excited for their next meeting. Soon after Lady Moreena had left came Lady Marielle DeBussy of Midston. The girl spoke with a cute southern twang and didn't seem to used to her dress, as she kept fidgeting with the clearly uncomfortable material. A few more girls passed unmemorably, and then came Lady Eyrie Doctor. Lady Eyrie turned the charm on hard, and spent the entire time flirting with Kat. It was only when Lady Eyrie walked away did Kat see her expression slip and she sighed in relief. Clearly the girl had been nervous. After Lady Eyrie was Lady Juana Cook of Panama, who spoke much too casually with Kat, ignoring all the rules Silvia was supposed to have taught them. Then came Lady Tatiana Redding.

Lady Tatiana was beautiful. She had an hourglass figure and long, wavy strawberry blonde hair. Kat felt an immediate attraction to her, and felt bad when Lady Tatiana was clearly nervous. Lady Tatiana stared at Kat quite a bit, with a slightly shocked expression on her face, and Kat couldn't quite figure out why. But Lady Tatiana smiled and seemed to enjoy the conversation, so she overlooked it.

The next two girls, Lady Lucya Ruminov and Lady Jezka Adimin were practically carbon copies of each other. They each had the same Russian accent, were dressed similarly, and looked very similar in everything excluding their hair colors, Lady Lucya being blonde and Lady Jezka being a brunette. Finally, after the last girl who hailed from Zuni left, Kat was done. Well, not entirely done. As she finished her meal she thought about one thing and one thing only.

Who was she going to eliminate?

 **Crazy, right? Two chapters in two days? Well, I actually finished this yesterday (well technically I finished this TODAY but today is 11/26/16 and I'm planning on updating tomorrow) and decided why not post it soon. I'm not sure how I finished it so fast, besides it being like two pages shorter than my usual ones. It's probably not very good tbh. Sorry for the short chapter, but you get a quick update! You should be happy. Anyways, it's elimination time next chapter…**

 **Who will stay?**

 **Who will go?**

 **Write in a review for this chapter who you think should be eliminated or who you think should stay! I'm going to be listening to those!**

 **Also tell me who you think Kat should have her first date with!**


	11. Chapter 11

**PSA I don't really like this chapter… not my best, quite possibly my worst. Please don't hate on it too much, I know it's bad, you don't have to rub it in. Basically I've had a pile of schoolwork thrown on top of my head. Math tests, a Bio lab, a paper for Lit and a test in History as well as an assignment in Java and an oral in Spanish. I've been swamped.**

 **Sorry. Love ya for reading this! Also shoutout to the ever supportive GreenWithAwesome and sweetandsimple1 who never fail to review. I don't reply to reviews that don't have specific questions because I'm awkward, but I do really appreciate them.**

Kat stared out at the girls, all eating their breakfast with the poise that Silvia had no doubt instilled in them. She had no clue who she was supposed to eliminate. What if she messed up? What if she sent home the wrong girl, the one she was destined to be with? She took a deep breath. Overthinking wouldn't help anything. She just needed to go with her gut instinct. She stared out at all of the girls, bit her lip in nervousness, and just tried to think- _who do I know I don't want to spend my life with_? Intuitively, names came to her. Juana Cook. Jezka Adimin. Elyn Mortissio. Muriel Teach. Elita Carpenter. Five girls she'd felt nothing for.

Kat stood up and walked to the center of the hall, in front of all the other girls. She beamed at them before addressing them. "Thank you all so much for today. I had such a wonderful time meeting all of you. There are just a few of you I'd like to remain here so I may speak with them, the rest of you may return to your rooms. The girls I'd like to speak with are Lady Juana, Lady Jezka, Lady Elyn, Lady Muriel, and Lady Elita."

All of the Selected filed out, excluding the ones she'd requested stayed, whose faces were red with blush, and they all had small smiles. Oh no. Kat immediately felt guilty. They thought they'd been called out positively, not to be sent home. Kat pulled on her most sympathetic smile as the girls walked over and formed a semicircle around her.

Lady Jezka was the brave soul who spoke first. "You called upon us, Your Highness?"

Kat smiled apologetically. "Yes, I'm so thankful that you have taken time out of your lives to come here, but I don't believe that this is the right place for you. I feel no connection between myself and you all, so I regret to say that you will all be sent home."

The mood change was instantaneous. Lady Elita and Lady Elyn burst into tears. Lady Muriel started begging, Lady Juana just stood there with her mouth gaping open, and Lady Jezka looked livid.

"You can't eliminate us! After just the first day? You barely know us!" Lady Jezka fumed.

"I'm terribly sorry, Lady Jezka, but I have already made the decision to release you. You may go back to your rooms, pack your things, say goodbye to other girls, and leave. Thank you very much for your time here," Kat said firmly. She knew if she stayed with the crying and fuming girls she'd change her mind out of pity, so she simply turned on her heel and exited the room. She sighed as she walked back to her room. It was down to thirty, though that didn't seem any less scary. One of these thirty girls was going to be her wife. Now that she'd met them, how was she supposed to start weeding through them to see who she liked? And what about the ones who weren't even there for her?

Kat lay down on her bed and massaged her temples. Why couldn't she just date like a normal girl? Meet someone normally, ask her out, fall in love… instead she had to be a princess, and had to be the heir to the throne. She knew she sounded stuck up; anyone would be lucky to be a princess. She just wished she had a little more freedom to be herself. She frowned to herself and shook her head. She didn't have time to focus on her complaints with life- she had work to do. With a sigh, she pulled out her reports- she was to attend an advisor meeting later that day -and dove into them, trying her best to push out the thoughts of the Selection.

-uUu-

Kat was exhausted after the meeting. Per usual the meeting had gone terribly. Any idea she'd suggested was promptly shot down. She'd hoped after her trip to the KAU and Indipal she'd have a stronger standing with the advisors, but that clearly was not the case. If anything Sir Byrrel was even more ruthless to her. Every time that Kat spoke at all, Byrrel was quick to shoot her down. Kat just felt bad for his assistant. Poor Percey looked quite pained whenever Byrrel went into one of his spiteful arguments against Kat. Kat wondered if Byrrel was as abusive to Percey as he was to other people, but quickly shot that thought down. Percey and Byrrel had at most five years between them, (both quite young) and had been working at the castle for just about the same amount of time. As far as Kat knew Percey had never sent in a request to be changed from his position, not even to rise above the assistant job. Perhaps Percey was just acting to inspire sympathy from Kat… after all, that would be a good strategy if Byrrel was indeed the attacker.

Kat had been trying to get Byrrel to slip up during the meeting, to reveal why exactly he had left the castle the night before. She'd quietly alluded to being suspicious of him (when she could manage to get a word in) but all she'd achieved was a yelling from King Tyran asking why she was attempting to personally attack his advisor.

Overall the meeting had just been rather pointless. They'd got next to nothing done, besides pointless bickering and making Kat annoyed. What she wanted more than anything at this point was to lie down and sleep before dinner, however, she hadn't seen Alder yet that day and realized how much it must've sucked to be trapped in there all day. So instead of taking a nap, she headed up towards the castle hospital. However, on the way she was stopped by a rather annoyed looking Aledonna.

"Hello Katalina," Aledonna said with a barely-disguised face of disgust.

"Hello, Mother," Kat mumbled in reply, hoping to get through the conversation as quickly as possible.

''So, Katalina… care to explain why exactly you decided on an elimination without contacting myself or your father first? I was under the impression the first meeting elimination would be discussed with at _least_ Tyran first."

Kat blinked. "No one ever told me I was supposed to talk to you about it. I thought it was my decision?"

Aledonna sighed. "Well of course it's your decision, but if you had at least some logic you'd recognize that your father and I have been through a Selection before. We know how to recognize who isn't exactly… up to par. You wouldn't want to marry someone destined to fail, would you?"

"I guess not," Kat replied, frowning. She hadn't really thought about the girls' royal capabilities, just about love.

"Finally, some sense. I'll have someone send you a list of girls that Tyran and I think are decent so far. I know Tyran has mentioned a few of the girls standing out amongst the rest." Aledonna nodded and walked away.

Kat rolled her eyes once her mother had left. It was unsurprising that her parents would want to force themselves into what was supposed to be her decision. Couldn't she just be allowed to fall in love like a normal girl? And how would her parents even know who was sufficiently poise yet? Kat was so lost in her own thoughts of the girls and her parents that she nearly ran right into Talon as he exited the hospital wing. He shot a sheepish grin at her as he passed by and she smiled in response.

She made her way to Alder's room and pushed the door open. He already looked better than the day before, a little light returning to his eyes and his skin regaining some color.

"Heya, Kat," he said.

"Hey Ald," she replied. "How're you feeling?"

Alder shrugged. "Better, but definitely not my best. Talon just visited me, so that's good."

"Any news on when you'll get out?" Kat asked.

"They said a week or two. It sucks so much." Alder sighed.

"At least that lines you up to be out before Christmas. If you had to be stuck here then it'd be even worse," Kat said, plopping down in the chair next to Alder's bed.

"True, true." Alder nodded. "So how's the Selection going? I heard you eliminated some girls."

"I did, yeah, and Aledonna just got annoyed at me for it on my way here," Kat complained.

"Really? Why?" Alder asked.

Kat rolled her eyes. "My parents don't seem to realize it's my decision and not theirs."

"Damn. So who'd you eliminate?"

"The girls from Dominica, Panama, Yukon, Baffin, and Denbeigh." Kat frowned. She felt bad for doing such a quick elimination, but also knew if she didn't she would be criticized.

"I don't remember any of them, so at least they weren't my favorites." Alder shrugged.

"Who are your favorites?" Kat asked.

"The ones that make an impression. Lady Nova, the blue-haired one, for sure. Lady Cameo's certainly got a different vibe than the rest. Obviously Lady Moreena and Lady Lysa, because like, oh my god. They're, like, frickin' famous," Alder said.

Kat giggled. "Right, how cool. Lady Moreena and Lady Lysa- they're 'like frickin' famous'. It's not like your best friend is the heir to all of the country or anything."

"Oh, shut up." Alder laughed. "You have to admit they're pretty cool. You need to let me meet at _least_ Moreena Challis. She's only the most famous singer in all of Illéa."

"Alright, fine, you can meet her sometime."

"Yes!" Alder cheered.

"I think Berlin would kill me if you met her before she did, though." Kat laughed.

Alder rolled his eyes. "She can deal."

"I mean, unless you suddenly join the royal family you won't be meeting her first. They're supposed to meet the girls after I've had my first few dates. Speaking of those I really should be planning them."

Alder's eyebrows shot up. "Ooh… got anyone in mind?"

Kat shrugged. "There are a few girls I really felt like I connected with. Lady Jennfyr, Lady Cameo, Lady Hanna, Lady Nova, Lady Lilac definitely stood out. I'm not sure which one I should go on a date first though… and that's only the beginning of the problem. Once I know who, what are we supposed to do? What if I'm too awkward, or it's a bad date?"

"Stop freaking out, Kat. Obviously they're going to love the date no matter what. You're the _princess_ , and they're getting a one-on-one with you. They're gonna be wowed no matter what," comforted Alder.

"I know, I know… I'm just nervous that I'm not going to meet their expectations." Kat frowned.

"Kat, if they have unrealistic expectations of you that's their own fault. In fact, good for you then! Because this isn't about making these girls happy. This about you finding a life partner, and a life partner wants to know you for you, not you for Princess Katalina Beaumont."

Kat nodded. "You're right, Ald, per usual. I still have no clue who to pick for the first one, though."

"Well if you can't pick one, work backwards. Out of those girls you mentioned, get rid of one. Narrow it down one by one 'til you have your first date," Alder suggested.

"That's brilliant, Ald! I think out of the ones who stood out… Lady Hanna and Lady Jennfyr. I think I'd put Lady Nova, Lady Lilac, and Lady Cameo over them," Kat said.

"So Nova, Lilac, and Cameo… now we just need to narrow down one of them. What did you like about each of them?"

"Well, Lady Nova was very mysterious and I'd like to see what's up with her. Lady Lilac was very… exuberant. Excitable. She just seemed fun to be around in general. And Lady Cameo was just… I don't know, I just felt an immediate attraction to her," Kat explained.

"So, excitable girl, mysterious girl, or 'generally attractive' girl?" Alder asked, "If you can't decide, why don't you just do a group date?"

Kat thought for a second, before shaking her head. "No, that feels cheap. I want to only do one-on-ones."

"I don't know then. If you eliminated one we could always flip a coin," Alder advised.

"Flipping a coin- perfect way to make decisions about my potential future wife." Kat rolled her eyes.

"The girl you go on the first date with isn't really too important in the grand scheme of things, Kat."

"Okay, but it's important to me." Kat frowned.

Alder sighed. "Alright, alright. Tell me one more time what's so interesting about these three girls, and use a lot of detail."

-uUu-

She closed her eyes, focusing only on the beat of the music. She moved her body with intention and grace, not a single step out of place. The song was lyricless, a modern, contemporary piece and her dance matched it. While her body flowed with the melody she was able to forget anything and everything besides the music. She danced for quite some time before she realized she was being watched. Her first reaction was discomfort, but when she saw that the person leaning against her door's frame was none other than Princess Katalina she simply closed her eyes with a slight smirk and continued to dance. Why not impress the princess while she had the chance? This continued for a little while until Katalina finally spoke up.

"I had no idea you were a dancer," the princess said.

She smiled her signature coy smile. "I suppose there are quite a few things you don't know about me."

"Oh, certainly," Katalina replied, "And that's why I came here. I was wondering, Lady Nova, if you would fancy accompanying me on a date? I'd very much like to get to know you better."

"I'd love to." Nova smiled. As far as she was aware, this was the first date Princess Katalina was to go on. "What will we do on the date?"

"I was thinking we could see a movie." Katalina played with a strand of her brown hair.

"Sounds lovely," Nova replied. She maintained her small smile the entire time, projecting mystery.

"Great, I'll come by your room around seven, then?" Katalina asked, and Nova nodded.

As Katalina walked away, Nova grinned to herself- a rare, real one. She'd gotten a date with the princess, everything was according to plan.

-uUu-

Berlin pouted at Kat. "I still think you should've taken Moreena Challis first!"

Kat rolled her eyes at her little sister. "Ber, believe it or not fame is not the only thing I'm looking for."

"So? That doesn't mean it's not a good place to start!" Berlin replied, and Kat laughed.

There were still about fifteen minutes until Kat's date with Lady Nova and she was all ready. Her hair had been curled into soft waves and she wore a semi-casual pale blue dress that looked lovely with her hair. Her makeup was natural and her demeanor exuded simplicity. She didn't want to put pressure on the first date.

"Berlin, I'm looking for a wife here," Kat said, wincing a bit at the word "wife", "Not a piece of eye-candy."

Berlin simply stuck out her tongue.

"Your Highness, I think it's about time you get going towards Lady Nova's room, it would look quite bad to be late," Yvette said from the corner of the room, where she and Adina were sewing.

Berlin grinned up at Kat. "Tell me everything about the date! As soon as it's done, you gotta!"

Kat chuckled. "It's only a movie, it probably won't even be that exciting. But alright, I will. Wish me luck."

"Good luck!" Kat's maids and her sister called as she walked out of her room.

The second Kat stepped out of the room she was overcome with nervousness. The first date… what if it went wrong? Kat could think of a million ways that she could mess up the date and as she walked towards Lady Nova's room those reasons compressed and collided with her confidence more and more. She wondered briefly if she could feign sick and get out of the date, but recognized that if she backed out of the first date she'd never grasp the courage to even go on one.

Kat was so caught up in her thoughts that she walked right past Lady Nova's door. Blushing and thankful none of the guards had noticed her little blunder, she sighed to herself. She was here, at the door. No more time to psych herself out, and no more time to stall. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

Within a few seconds Lady Nova's maids opened the door. They giggled and tripped over themselves as they called Lady Nova to the door. When Lady Nova stepped into vision, Kat's eyes widened and she had to keep her mouth from dropping. Lady Nova looked stunning. Her electric blue hair had been curled softly and pinned half back with a small tiara with gray gems in it. Her dress was a matching dark gray, toga-style and had the same gray stones trimming the waste. Her eyes popped with a smokey eye and her lips were a dark maroon, making that little coy smile stand out even more. Kat's only thought was _damn_.

Lady Nova raised an eyebrow. "Take a picture, Your Highness, it will last longer."

Kat blushed and chuckled, hearing perhaps the most personality she'd heard come out of Lady Nova yet. Kat offered her her arm somewhat awkwardly (she was used to being the one lead, not leading) and smiled at her date.

"So, what sort of movie would you like to see?" Kat asked once they had begun walking.

"I don't know… what types of movies do you like?" Lady Nova replied, redirecting the conversation back to Kat.

"Probably fantasy or mystery." Kat shrugged.

"Then one of those. One of your favorites."

"Okay."

They watched a movie about a girl who realized she was a witch, mostly in silence. Kat realized halfway through it might've been a bad pick because Lady Lysa appeared in it as a supporting character. Truth be told she hadn't even recognized the character Lysa Pinegrove before then. After the rather uneventful movie Kat bid Lady Nova goodbye after walking her back to her room. The date had been a bit disappointing, mostly because of her choice of a movie. Kat realized that, if she wanted to get to know the girls better, dates that consisted of no talking were probably not a good idea. However the date had accomplished one thing- she'd broken that barrier and was now feeling a lot more relaxed about more dates. So, as she walked back to her room (and prepared for Berlin's disappointment that the date had been dull) her heart felt just a bit lighter.

 **Another apology for the chapter, yeah, I know it wasn't very good. I've been struggling with school a bit. I know it's been almost a month since an update. But there is good news! Since I'm on winter break I'm going to be writing like crazy and have a Christmas chapter hopefully out on Christmas Day! If you created a character please send me what you'd want their Christmas party outfit to be!**

 **Another note to do with the SYOC it is still open! You can submit up to three characters! If you've submitted one, please submit another and I will love you forever.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yikes.**

"A _what_?" Aledonna stared sharply at her daughter.

"A Christmas party. For the Selected," Kat reiterated, "It will be fun for the girls _and_ good for publicity, Mother."

"Katalina, Christmas is a _Christian_ holiday," Aledonna said sternly.

"Yes. And?"

Dinner had just finished, and Kat had stopped her mother outside of the dining hall. Alder had had the most brilliant idea. A Christmas party would not only entertain the girls and provide Kat with a way to interact with most of them, but also satisfy the media. Kat had been on a few more dates now and each time the media tried (and usually managed) to butt their way in. Kat couldn't see a single reason why her parents wouldn't like the idea. However, Aledonna always seemed to find some way to disagree with her.

"Well, Christianity and… homosexuality don't exactly mix, now do they?" Aledonna put her hands on her hips.

"...I know plenty of Christians, and they don't hate me. Religion and sexuality don't necessarily conflict."

Aledonna's glare intensified. "Well, we wouldn't want to anger anyone by impurifying their holiday, now would we?"

Kat raised her eyebrows. "Interesting choice of words. Mother, the media would love this party. It's a perfect excuse to distract all of the lower castes from whatever problems they have."

Aledonna sighed. "I _suppose_ that would be a positive. I will speak to your father about it. This is _not_ a yes."

And so two days later a messenger showed up in Kat's room telling her that the party would be going through. Berlin, who with Kat at the time, exploded with happiness. A party, to her, was a chance to dance with cute boys and hopefully meet some famous people. Kat was excited as well, though also nervous. The country would be watching her interact with the girls and judging every second of it. Not only that, but Christmas was only five days away. They'd have to do quite a bit of setup, and the Selected girls would have to be taught party etiquette. Immediately after she heard about the party, Kat went down to tell the girls. From almost all of them came pure jubilance. A true castle ball, a fantasy for most girls. For Kat it was a little less exciting. She was thrown into hours and hours of planning and decorating, making sure the party would go perfectly. It would all be worth it, though. Christmas was Kat's favorite holiday, and nothing could mess that up.

-uUu-

Dylisia wasn't very good at dancing. It wasn't her fault, really. It was hard to learn to dance when you couldn't see what was going on. It was even harder since they'd made her put away her white cane and her guide dog had to sit on the side. She knew, logically, that she couldn't dance with her cane or Obsydian but she really wished that she could have at least something to guide her other than the guard she was dancing with's hands. She tripped and stumbled over herself repeatedly, certain she looked a mess. She wouldn't give up though. She'd been through a lot of challenges due to blindness, but none of them had stopped her! Still, something purely visual like dancing was very hard to grasp for her. She was lucky her partner was patient.

"No, no," he said in a pause, "Put your feet further apart, just a little. Little more. Yeah, that's good."

The dance picked up again, and Dylisia did her best not to mess up. It was hard when she couldn't see if she was dancing properly, and couldn't see the examples they were given. She could only go off of the guidance of her partner. This round of practice was going quite well, she hadn't had Silvia call her out and she was pretty sure her feet were in the right places. Her confidence swelled as the dance continued. She made it to the last few measures of the song before things took a turn for the worse. She stumbled, her feet slipping out from under her, and fell right on her butt, skidding a little bit, in front of everyone. Snickers erupted from around her. She turned and glared at the nearest source of laughter, wanting to stand up and yell at whoever it was. In fact, she was just about to do so when a hand lightly touched her shoulder.

"D'you want a hand up?" a voice asked. It took Dylisia a second to recognize the voice as Lady Lilac.

Dylisia nodded, thankful, and reached out her hand. Lilac grabbed it and pulled her up, back to standing.

Lilac whispered to her, "Ignore the girls laughing! They're just trying to make themselves feel better and superior!"

"Girls! Back to dancing!" Silvia called.

Dylisia heard Lilac walk away. She was thankful for her. She'd been about to go off on the snickering girls, but now realized how bad it would look in front of Silvia. Instead… she'd work even harder! She'd show them that just because she was blind didn't make her any worse or any less valuable. She smiled as her guard partner took her hand and they began the dance again.

-uUu-

Berlin and Alder giggled at her as she stepped on Berlin's feet once again, sighing. "All the boys make this look so easy!

Kat had been watching the girls learn to dance while she was on a break from planning, when she realized a rather gaping flaw within the plan. The girls were learning to dance as, obviously, the girl. Kat, being a princess, had only learned the same part. If she tried to dance with one of the girls at the party, it would be a mess. She'd run off to Alder's room (for he had been let out of the castle hospital the day before) and begged him to teach her, and so now she was in Berlin's room, trying to dance with her, and failing miserably.

"It _is_ , Kat, you're just dreadful at it!" Alder snickered as Kat accidentally led Berlin into her dresser.

Kat sighed. "Show me the steps again. I need to figure this out, and I'm working on a tight schedule. I've another date soon."

-uUu-

Camille smiled as the practice was let out. The dance lesson had gone rather uneventfully, save for Lady Dylisia falling. The entire time she'd been just waiting for it to finish, for she planned to visit Aurora as soon as it was done. Aurora was Camille's daughter. Yes, unmarried and only eighteen years old, Camille had a beautiful two year old child. Aurora's existence was technically illegal, born from an unmarried woman. However Camille was an exception. She'd never wanted Aurora (though she saw her daughter now as a gift). When she was only sixteen she'd been raped, and the judge had taken pity on her. Her rapist was executed, and she was only demoted to a Seven. She was shocked that she was even let into the Selection because of her daughter, but here she was. The castle had been surprisingly providing to her, for she couldn't be separated from her young daughter. Aurora now stayed in a nursery with other young kids.

Camille headed up to the nursery, knocking on the door lightly when she arrived. The woman who ran it, a motherly chubby lady named Ferna, smiled and welcomed her in. Ferna pointed her to where Aurora was, and her little girl came running, awkwardly as toddlers do, into her mother's arms.

"Mommy!" Aurora called, showing a toothy grin.

"Hey, sweetie," Camille said.

"Mommy today a new boy came in! I made a fwiend!" Aurora cheered.

Camille smiled. "Sweetie that's great! What's his name?"

Camille talked with Aurora for awhile, happy to spend more time with her daughter. The Selection had forced her to distance herself from Aurora, something she hated. Still, she reminded herself, she was lucky she was allowed to have Aurora with her.

"I've gotta head out now, sweetie. Dinner's soon and I need to get changed."

Aurora pouted. "Come back soon?"

Camille nodded. "Mhm, I'll come over right after."

Camille sighed as she left the nursery. Sometimes she felt as though when she had Aurora her life had stopped. She loved the child, of course, but it felt like there was no more room for change, for growth. She'd always be the "teen mom" girl, nannying for a rich family of Twos. She didn't have the time or the money to change anything, not with a daughter to support. Camille wasn't really sure what she was doing in the Selection, but she did know one thing: it was an opportunity, and one she wasn't going to waste.

-uUu-

Cameo wanted to throw something. Eyrie Doctor, the girl from Paloma, was gushing to the rest of the girls about her date earlier that day with Princess Kat.. She'd been annoyed when Nova had gotten the first date (and rather disappointed) but now as the fifth date passed and Cameo still hadn't gotten one, her frustration was beginning to swell. She couldn't see where she'd gone wrong, not getting a date. She was dressing fairly feminine, as the stylist had said Kat liked, and had made a point to smile to Kat at dinners. Surely Kat had to have noticed her by now? Cameo glared at Eyrie's back as she talked to Skylar Simpson. What did the girls who had gotten dates- Nova Dyre, Fleur Lee, Sadessa Caerleon, Jennfyr Gallaway, and now Eyrie Doctor -have that she didn't?

She didn't want to stay in the same room with all of them, so she stood up and sulked out of the Women's Room. As she opened the door and stepped out, she ran straight into someone. She was about to snap at them before she realized the person she'd run into was none other than Princess Kat. Cameo's cheeks reddened and she bowed. "Your Highness."

Princess Kat laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, aha… I was actually looking for you. I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me?"

Cameo raised her eyebrows. Just as she'd been brooding about not getting a date, Princess Kat'd been coming to ask her on one. "I'd love to. When?"

"Well, I'd been thinking we could go now. With the party coming up, I haven't had very much free time so forgive me for the short notice." Kat smiled (though slightly nervously) at Cameo.

"Of course, that's fine," Cameo replied smoothly. Inside, however, she was a bit annoyed. Couldn't she have at least a _bit_ of time to prepare? She knew she shouldn't feel this way, considering she was lucky to have the date, but couldn't help it.

Princess Kat offered Cameo her arm, and Cameo took it. She felt a bit awkward being led around, feeling as though she should be leading, but tried her best to still look suave. They went to a room that was small and had just one table in the center with two chairs. It was clearly a room set up for the purpose of dates. Cameo noticed a small scrap of some sort of silk fabric on the floor, and wondered, irked, who Princess Kat had already used this room with.

When they sat down attendants came out of a side door, setting an appetizer on the table and Cameo was pleased to notice it was top quality. Good. Anything less and Cameo would reject it. As the date began Cameo found it easy to talk to the princess. Cameo'd always thought Princess Kat would be sophisticated and posh, but quickly realized she was more like a normal girl. Cameo found she liked the real-girl princess more than the idealized one she'd built up in her mind.

"Not gonna lie, I've always admired your style so much. I've seen your stuff in the magazines and I love it." Princess Kat grinned as she ate some of the lamb roast that had been served.

"Thanks, Your Highness," Cameo replied, careful to respectful but still flirty, "Your outfits aren't too bad yourself."

"Call me Kat," Kat said, "And I was just wondering why your style changed so suddenly when you entered here… I mean, no one's requiring you to wear dresses or cut your hair more femininely. I personally think suits suit you more."

Cameo raised her eyebrows. The stylist had been lying. Kat _didn't_ prefer feminine girls. Anger filled her, but she didn't let it show. She wouldn't let her annoyance at the stylist ruin the date. Not wanting to let Kat know that her style change had been an attempt to win her over, Cameo simply said, "I was told that feminine styles looked better on me, but I agree with you. Masculine clothes are much more comfortable. I shouldn't have trusted the person."

The date progressed perfectly, conversation with Kat flowed naturally and by the end Cameo saw her in a whole new light- less of a princess, more of a person. She was disappointed when Kat said she had to do more party planning, and she could tell Kat was as well. When Cameo came back to her room she felt as though she was walking on air. However, she didn't let her elation make her forget the one thing she'd wanted to do when she got back to her room.

"Viola," Cameo addressed one of her maids, "Have you ever cut hair?"

"I have, Lady Cameo."

"Great."

-uUu-

The decorations looked stunning. It was the 24th, and Kat was overseeing the last setup of the ballroom that would be used for the party. They were using the largest and fanciest ballroom for the party. In the center of the ballroom was a giant Christmas tree with large baubles and shiny tinsel decorating it. Around the edges of the room circular tables with maroon tablecloths and tinsel lining were set up, with a buffet at one corner. Hanging from the ceiling were reflective snowflake decorations, and in one corner there were silver music stands for where the band would be playing. The room looked very festive without being overcrowded.

Kat smiled as two maids moved one last table into place. After an hour and a half of overseeing this work, it looked to be complete. She had just enough time between this task and a meeting with King Tyran's advisors to slip in a date. She'd already gone on two that day- one with Lady Eyrie, horseback riding, and a particularly lovely one with Lady Cameo, having dinner. Her next date was planned to be with Lady Lilac, a nighttime stroll through the gardens (with a cheeky pun about her name included).

Kat clasped her hands together in front of her. "Well, it looks like we're all done here! Thank you all so much for your hard work, you are all dismissed. I will be heading-"

"Princess Kat, Your Highness, there is still one thing…" a nervous, quiet voice piped up from behind Kat. She turned around and saw none other than Percey Bellington.

Kat raised her eyebrows at him. "Byrrel send you?" She didn't mean to sound so mean, but she couldn't bring herself to respect someone who worked so closely with rotten Reice Byrrel.

He nodded slightly. "It has come to our attention that Moreena Challis harbors a distaste for seafood, a lot of which is on the menu. Sir Byrrel suggested- and His Majesty agrees -that the menu should be redone since Moreena is a woman of high standing. Since your schedule says you have an hour of free time..."

"I was planning on going on a date," Kat stated.

"That can always be rescheduled," another nearby attendant said.

Kat sighed. It was unlikely, since her father had backed up the idea, that she would be able to get out of the date. She turned to Percey. "Go tell Lady Lilac that our date is to be rescheduled. Give her my sincerest apologies and let her know that it was _not_ my decision."

Percey nodded and scurried out of the room. Kat headed back to her own room, collecting the current menu on the way, and plopped down at her desk to begin the changes. _Just what I needed_ , she thought, _more work_.

-uUu-

Lilac woke up the morning of the Christmas party with nothing but excitement bubbling in her chest. She felt like throwing her head out her window and shouting, "Merry Christmas!" to the world. So she did. She'd been a little disappointed the night before, her date with Princess Kat getting cancelled, but the man who'd told her had said it wasn't her choice, so she assumed Kat had a good reason. Besides, none of that mattered now. It was Christmas! The castle insisted on having a maid stay with every girl through the night, so when she woke up she asked one of her maids what the time was. It was only eight forty, and the party was to start at seven in the evening. She had about ten hours. She decided to spend most of the time decorating her… interestingly unique Christmas tree she had set up in the corner. She put ornaments all over it, of varying color and size, and ribbon decorated the top. It was perfect! Sure, the ornaments didn't exactly match each other, but that was how Lilac wanted it.

After about two hours of decoration (it needed to be perfect) it was ten, and Lilac decided to head over to the Women's Room. She was already feeling fairly close to some of the girls- Lady Skylar, Lady Dylisia, Lady Charlotte, and Lady Tatiana. The four of them were sweethearts, even if Lady Tatiana seemed a bit shy. Lilac had a knack for reading people, and could tell that she was quite a bit self-conscious. She'd made it her duty to every day compliment Tatiana in as many ways as possible, and not just appearance-based one layer compliments. Despite having met a lot of really lovely girls, some of them she found she didn't like very much. Lady Jaden and Lady Sadessa just rubbed Lilac the wrong way, but she'd definitely still be giving them a chance. It was her personal policy that everyone deserved second chances.

Lilac talked to Skylar, Dylisia, Charlotte, and Tatiana for awhile until it was nearly time for lunch. They ate together, talking about their excitement for the party. "You guys just _wait_ until you see my dress."

As they ate, Lilac noticed Tatiana picking at her food. "You okay, Tati?"

Tatiana frowned. "I, um, I feel a bit sick. Probably just nervousness for the party."

After lunch they returned to the Women's Room, and Lilac grinned at everyone there. She'd had an idea the night before, and couldn't wait to implement this. "Heya! Can I get everyone's attention?"

The girls around the room looked up at her, and quite a few of them looked wary. Lilac ignored this. "Today at five, I'm inviting y'all to my room! We can all get ready together, and it'll be so fun! Since there's quite a few of us, Charlotte over here's offered to let us use her room too, which is next to mine! It's going to be so fun!"

Without waiting for a response, Lilac pranced out of the room. She headed back to her own room, and started to clean things up. She wasn't exactly the most organized person, and she wanted there to be as much room for the other girls as possible.

Her maid Georgeanne stopped her. "Lady Lilac, it's lovely that you want to help, but this is our job."

"Nonsense Georgie!" Lilac replied, continuing to organize her room. "I'm helping no matter what ya say, so there's no point in trying to stop me!"

Georgeanne simply sighed. After hours of cleaning and making sure her room was perfect (with the help of her maids), it was finally time for the other girls to join her. Being a bit naive, she'd assumed they would all come. She was rather disappointed when only Lady Skylar, Lady Rhiannon, Lady Carolynn, Lady Dylisia, Lady Charlotte, Lady Tatiana, Lady Jennfyr, Lady Natsumi, Lady Merideth, Lady B'Shara, and Lady Nova showed up. Still, better than no one showing up! Lilac asked that they get one of their maids and their outfits, and the girls did, all returning with their respective dresses and maids in tow.

"But where's your dress, Lilac?" Merideth asked.

Skylar nudged Merideth and pointed. "I think it's the…"

"Oh… _oh_." Merideth blinked.

Nova giggled. "That's a bit… odd."

All of the girls (minus B'Shara) blinked at Nova. It wasn't very Nova of her to behave like that, or even show up in the first place. Nova noticed the girls staring at her and her eyebrows crumpled together in confusion. "What? Why's everyone staring at me?"

Lilac shrugged. Sure, Nova was acting weird but that didn't matter right then- it was time to get ready for the party! Lilac didn't care if the girls thought her dress was strange, she was used to people not liking her outfits. At Lilac's cue the maids began to work around their girls. The room was abuzz with chatter and laughter, which delighted Lilac. This was what she wanted, to feel like these weren't her competitors, these were her friends. Surprisingly, Nova was one of the chattiest in the room, and not once did her signature smile grace her face.

After about an hour of the work on their faces and hair they were all finished and climbed into their dresses with the help of their maids. All of the girls, in Lilac's opinion, looked exceptional.

Dylisia wore a dress with red ruffles and little shining silver gems that stopped just above her heels exposing matching silver shoes. Her guide dog was wearing one of those little pet costumes that was a red suit, the same color as her dress (which Lilac found so adorable). Her hair was down and curled.

Skylar was wearing a strapless red mermaid dress with a large bow right before the fan. Her shoes were matte and the same color red as her dress, which was also matched to her lipstick. Her dark blonde, near-brown hair had been tamed from it's usual beach-wave style into a fishtail. Since Skylar was a model, she looked remarkably beautiful.

Merideth wore a black gown with pale white lace trimming the edges and a belt around her waist, with plain black heels. Her curly black hair had been straightened and looked quite long because of it.

Rhiannon wore what looked like a Santa Claus outfit, but a little less… reserved. The bright red fabric stopped mid-thigh, with quite a bit of white fluff trimming the edges. Her brown braids had matching white fluffy ties on them, and she wore a Santa hat. Lilac admired her festivity.

Wearing a bright red dress was Carolynn, with a neckline plunging just a _bit_ too far down. The dress was backless, with a halter top, and it clung close to her body. She wore matching red shoes and her dyed blonde hair was styled in waves. Lilac found it surprising that Carolynn had shown up to this, compared to some of the girls who hadn't shown up.

Tatiana looked rather uncomfortable with herself in a red knee-length bodycon, with long sleeves and a V-neck. She had gold hoop earrings and a matching gold necklace, with black kitten heels. Lilac smiled at her and threw her a compliment, and Tatiana relaxed just the slightest bit.

Charlotte wore a long black dress that swirled around her and only had one strap, giving the appearance that she was twisted up in it. Little pale stones followed the swooping pattern, adding to that illusion.

Natsumi donned a rather plain green dress that appeared to be made of silk, with matching green flats. Jennfyr wore a similarly simple dress, except in red and strapless compared to Natsumi, who had a halter style top.

B'Shara wore a dress made of a firetruck red silk. The skirt of the dress had two layers, a normal one and a second covering with crimson lace. It had a wide collar and a thick black belt at the waist.

Nova, however, was the most stunning out of all of the girls. Her dress, ignoring the Christmas theme, resembled her name with a black base and various shades of purple and blues across it like a galaxy. There were little white stones all over it like stars, and her hair had matching pins. Her makeup was dark and dramatic. She looked beautiful.

"Why are you all staring?" Nova asked rather loudly, blinking.

"Your dress is so gorgeous!" replied Skylar, smiling widely.

"Oh, haha, thanks!" Nova said, grinning and blushing. The rest of the girls were generally confused. Nova's behavior did not align at all with what they'd seen from her before. She seemed like an entirely new person.

Taking the opportunity that Skylar had given them, the girls began complimenting each other's outfits. This led into further conversation, which Lilac was delighted about. The sense of closeness to the other girls was everything she wanted. It was her thought that far too many people looked over sisterhood and friendship in the name of love. Sure, love was fine and dandy, but love doesn't always last, and many friendships are forever.

-uUu-

As the minutes ticked closer and closer to seven, Kat's nervousness grew more and more. It was five forty-five, and she needed to be at the ballroom in forty-five minutes. Kat had always been nervous before big events, but this time was different. The anxiety was exploding within her, taking up all of her mind and thoughts. She was terrified, absolutely frozen with fright. The one, singular fear that consumed her was simple. What if it happened again? She started to feel dizzy and short of breath. Blood pounded in her ears as she slowly sank to her knees and curled up in a ball on the floor of her room. Her vision slowly slid out of focus and she struggled to form a coherent thought. All that was in her head was her pounding anxiety and fears. She didn't know what was going on, she couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. All she could do was stay there, shaking on the ground, her head screaming. Confusion and fear danced together in her brain. What was going on? Why couldn't she move? Irrational thoughts begin to flood in as well- was she dying?

She stayed there, quivering, unable to move, unable to breathe. She did not even register the knocks on her door until Alder was already pushing it open. His jaw dropped when he saw his best friend curled up on the floor, shaking and crying. "Oh my god, Kat!"

He rushed to her side. "Are you okay?"

Kat tried to speak, to say no, she wasn't, but she found she couldn't. No words, not a single sound, would come to the shaking princess.

"Kat?"

Alder reached for Kat, but was interrupted by Berlin shoving through the door. "Oh, hey Alder- what's going on?"

Berlin walked over to Kat was crouched, concern for her sister filling her eyes. "Kat? ...Alder?"

"I don't know what's happening… I walked in here maybe a minute ago and she's, she's unresponsive and she's crying and shaking," Alder said, clearly afraid.

Berlin nodded for a second before recognition lit up in her irises. "...She's having a panic attack. Amria Officer had one when she found out her dad died. I was there."

"Oh my god… but why… I'm going to go get a doctor." Alder turned and headed for the door.

"No. No, wait." Berlin held out her hand to stop him.

"What? But she needs help," Alder questioned.

Berlin shook her head. "If you go get a doctor my mom and dad will find out. They'll use this against her, trust me. I kinda saw how they helped Amria Officer. We'll be fine."

"She's having a _panic_ _attack_ , Berlin. She needs medical help," Alder argued.

Berlin stuck her skinny arms on her hips and rose up onto her tiptoes so she was just a few inches shorter than taller. She glared at her sister's best friend and spoke sternly. "Medical help that will cause her to get in trouble? Medical help that will make Mom and Dad berate her? Medical help that people will use to manipulate her, saying what she says isn't valid or she's mentally ill? Just trust me, okay? Just 'cuz I'm younger than you doesn't mean I don't have good ideas. I care for Kat too, and the time we spend arguing is time wasted for helping her!"

Alder blinked, surprised that such maturity could come out of the tween. "Alright, alright, okay."

"Okay, so when Amria had one they put a wet washcloth- I think it was cold -on her forehead and her neck, so go get one of those," Berlin told Alder before sitting down in front of Kat. As Alder darted out of the room, Berlin put her hands on Kat's shoulders. "Hey, Kat? It's okay. You're having a panic attack. You're safe right now, what you're feeling is scary but not dangerous."

Kat could hear what her sister was saying, but she couldn't really process it. It was as though it was through a bubble, Kat was drowning in her panic attack and Berlin was far away on land.

"Look at me, Kat. Lock eyes with me," Berlin said. Kat couldn't. Piled atop all of the confusing fear and panic, she was aware of how embarrassed she was. A panic attack, _her_. She was being such an inconvenience to her sister, to Alder, and to everyone who had set up the party by wasting time. "Look at me."

Kat lifted her eyes up to meet Berlin's, though she couldn't focus upon them, her vision still blurry and her body still shaking.

"Breathe with me. In when I go in, out when I go out. Okay?" Berlin asked, and Kat could only nod.

Berlin stared into Kat's eyes, breathing in and out deeply at a constant, regulated pace. As this continued for a few minutes, Kat felt the terror in her mind decrease, as well as her shaking and blurry vision slowly coming under control. Her shaking had nearly stopped by the time Alder returned with the wet rag, placing it on her forehead. As the minutes passed, Kat gained more and more control of herself, to the point where she felt she could use her voice.

"T-Thank you…" it was shaky and quiet, but it was something.

"What happened?" Alder asked immediately.

Berlin looked up at him. '"Not yet," she muttered.

Kat shook her head, feeling embarrassed. She didn't want to look weak. "I… I don't really know… I was just thinking about, w-what would happen if… it happened again. W-w-with Taliyah."

"Oh," was all Alder said.

"It's understandable for you to worry, Kat. But it won't happen. I'm certain there are even more guards, especially with the new draft. It'll be safe," Berlin comforted maturely.

"What time is it?" Kat asked, her voice hoarse.

Alder glanced up to a clock on the wall, frowning slightly. "You have fifteen minutes until you need to be at the party."

Kat nodded. "Help me up…"

Alder reached out his hand, which Kat grabbed, and pulled her to her feet. Berlin reached over to her skirt and pushed the wrinkled parts of her dress flat. It was a very pretty thing, deep green, which brought out her eyes, with a lace layer over the skirt and long, dark green lace sleeves. She looked very elegant, and her hair was piled atop her head in a braid crown.

"Do you want me to get Yvette and Adina?" asked Berlin. "To fix your makeup?"

Kat shook her head. She didn't want her maids to see she'd been crying.

Alder put his hands on his hips. "Girl, we don't need them, _hello_. I am basically a makeup professional at this point."

Kat smiled at her best friend as he pulled her over to her mirror and grabbed her makeup, attacking her face with concealer and powder, covering up everything her tears had messed up. After about ten minutes of this, Kat was finally presentable. Alder was good, she didn't look at all like she'd been crying.

"Thanks Ald." Kat hugged him.

"No problem," he whispered into your hair. "I know you already know this, but I'm always here to talk, Kat." He pulled away from the hug and playfully pushed her towards the door. "Now go! Your ladies are waiting!"

-uUu-

Carolynn smirked at the girls around her. Lilac's setup was perfect. As a practiced gossip-master, Carolynn knew the way to let a secret slide out was not to everyone all at once- especially in a place like the castle. No, Carolynn knew how to work drama, especially for her own motives. Releasing what she'd found out to everyone would cause a panic, and also send her down the path her mother had taken. Instead, if she released it to a few girls at a time, the rumor would spread on its own, and Carolynn would have zero blame from the royals.

Carolynn had been struggling to think of a way to get a few girls close enough to her to make it seem reasonable to throw what had happened out there. When Lilac had invited everyone to get ready together, well, it was the perfect opportunity. Carolynn just had to find the right pause in the conversation to get it in. That pause came about fifteen minutes before they were to leave. B'Shara had just said something very self-centered (that Carolynn couldn't be bothered to pay attention to) and an awkward silence fell after that. Carolynn knew it was her moment.

"You guys… can I trust you with something? It's kind of a big deal, but I just can't keep it to myself." Carolynn was a good actress. She knew very well at least three, perhaps more, of these girls would be tossing the secret out to their maids and the other girls by the end of the night.

Lilac's eyes widened and she nodded. "Of course!"

"I…" Carolynn feigned nervousness. "I overheard something I shouldn't have. Something dangerous."

Carolynn noticed Rhiannon's eyes perk up at that, and she listened very intently. It'd be her who spilled first, Carolynn decided.

"What was it?" prompted Merideth, fidgeting with her hair, clearly nervous.

"I overheard people talking, in the hospital wing, and they were saying that…" Carolynn took a deep breath, as though what she was about to say terrified her. "That someone had been nearly murdered here. In the castle."

B'Shara let out an extremely loud gasp, clasping her heart overdramatically. Rhiannon's eyebrows shot up, and a small frown sat on her face. An odd expression danced across Nova's face, before settling into a different, closed off one.

"What?!" gasped Lilac, her usually chipper face drooped in an unfitting frown.

Carolynn nodded. "It's not fair for them to keep that from us. I mean, we're in danger here."

"Hold on," Tatiana said, looking very nervous. "I mean, it might not even be true."

"Katalina was in the room where they were talking about it. It's gotta be," Carolynn replied.

All of the girls looked afraid. What had been a very happy, sisterly pre-party had suddenly been turned gloomy and dark. Carolynn smirked to herself. Sure, the other girls deserved to know they were potentially in danger, but also… if the other girls got scared and left because of this info, it was just one less thing for Carolynn to worry about on her path to the crown.

-uUu-

Moreena grinned at herself in the mirror. She looked hot. Her caramel colored hair was down in waves, and she wore a little gold tiara at the top of her head. Her dress was made of gold silk, with a lace layer on top of it that had gold sparkles in it. If asked, she was going to say she was the star on top of the tree. If not asked, she'd probably work it into the conversation anyways. The dress clung to her body in all of the right places. Considering how big of a deal this party was to be to the press, Moreena had called in her personal stylist instead of relying on her maids. Giovanni knew everything Moreena liked, and he'd made her the perfect dress. Even her lowly maids had been awed when they saw it.

"You look gorgeous, Lady Moreena!" Sandra (or was it Sindra?) had cheered for her.

Her maids had done her makeup perfectly, and Moreena was slightly impressed. Her eyelids were a matching shimmery gold, and her lips were a deep, dark red that pulled her look from cute into sexy.

"I know." She smirked. "Princess Kat's going to love me. Am I free to go now?"

"Yes, Lady Moreena," another maid smiled at her. "Have a lovely time tonight!"

Moreena nodded. "I shall." She turned and strut out of the room, headed towards the ballroom her maids had shown her earlier. A few other girls were already crowded around it. Moreena recognized them as Lady Cameo, Lady Fleur, Lady Sadessa, Lady Uma, and Lady Eyrie. Moreena looked them up and down, and clearly marked Sadessa as her heaviest competition there. Fleur was shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, Uma was laughing (much like a horse) at something Eyrie had said, and Eyrie had quite a few very obvious pimples on her forehead. Cameo looked more like a dude than a chick, so much so that she was even wearing a green suit and a big, red, fluffy coat. Moreena thought she looked more like a gay guy than a gay girl.

Sadessa on the other hand… the girl was blessed in the looks department. Not as much as Moreena, of course, but still. She had long dark hair, far past her waist, which was perpetually waved. Her eyebrows were arched fiercely, giving her a perpetual look of seduction. Her personality matched it. Moreena had watched the girl flirt with the most handsome guards more than a few times, despite their supposed promised loyalty towards Princess Kat. The guards didn't seem to mind, despite knowing it was illegal. Yes, Sadessa was one to watch out for.

The sound of quite a few footsteps flooding the hall snapped Moreena out of her competitive thoughts. She glanced down the corridor and saw about ten of the other girls walking down the hall together. Moreena frowned. _This must be Lilac's pre-party. Gross._

Moreena felt the very idea of trying to get genuinely close to her competitors was ridiculous. Did they not realize that this was a fight? A fight for the crown, that only one girl was going to win? Moreena huffed out an annoyed breath of air as the group approached. It was everyone who she had expected to be there, besides perhaps Nova, who had seemed a bit shy. Looking over the group of girls, she noticed something was off. The crowd who'd hang out with Lilac, she'd expected, would be as stupidly naive and excitable as the girl herself, but instead this group looked melancholy and full of gloom. What exactly could have happened to make them all so down before the party? Moreena shrugged, not really caring for more than a second. Sad girls make bad party companions, and she was sure Kat would notice, and it would make her look better.

As more time passed, more and more girls arrived. They were all there about five minutes before seven, when the party was to start. Moreena was pleased to see that, in her opinion, she looked the best out of them all. She was looking especially better than Lilac. That girls dress… was a laughingstock. The dress was quite literally a Christmas tree, the skirt made out of pine in a cone, ornaments and tinsel on it and all. From the smell it seemed to be fashioned from a real pine tree. Yes, Moreena was certainly the best looking at this party. This party was an opportunity she wasn't going to waste, she was going to get Kat wrapped around her pinky finger.

-uUu-

Kat took a few deep breaths. In less than a minute the guards would be opening the doors and the girls would be coming into the ballroom. Everyone else was already there, the guards, the other royals, and the higher-ups her parents had invited. She'd managed to get Alder on the list, which was a comfort, and Berlin was there as well with three of her young friends.

"Are they going to enter soon?" Alder asked Kat, staring out at the door the girls would come through with excitement.

"I don't know. I hope not. I'm so nervous." Kat frowned.

"Aw, c'mon." Alder nudged her. "I'll be here the entire time if you get too stressed out. It'll be fine."

A guard walked up to the two of them and bowed before Kat. "We shall be letting the girls in now."

Kat nodded, biting her lips. Alder grabbed her hand and squeezed it to reassure her. At the edge of the room two guards swung open the big oak doors between the ballroom and the hallway, and in flooded the thirty girls remaining in the Selection. They all looked stunning, every single one of them, and for a fleeting moment Kat's nervousness was replaced with a single thought; _I'm so gay_. Of course seconds after the thought came her anxiety returned, only amplified by the thirty beautiful girls. Now was she not only worried about another… _incident_ , but she was also filled with the fear of making a fool of herself in front of her Selected.

Attendants immediately directed the girls around the room, showing them where the food was, where the dancing was, and, most importantly, directing them to Kat. Whilst most of the girls headed towards the food or a guard to dance with, about five immediately beelined towards Kat. Lady Sadessa, Lady Moreena, Lady Carolynn, Lady Jaden, and Lady Lilac. The first four Kat had noticed were definitely more of the provocative sort, while Lilac seemed to march to the beat of a different drum.

Kat was certains she knew what they were all there to ask- if they could have the first dance. It was Lilac who reached her first, extending her pale hand and requesting they take the floor. Kat (who was secretly quite thankful Lilac had gotten to her first, for she was certain the others would try shoving their breasts in her face) agreed with a slight smile. Lilac took her out to the floor and the orchestra began to play a classic waltz. Lilac was a decently good dancer (especially, Kat thought, whilst wearing her rather disruptive dress), and thanks to Alder's teaching she led her easily. As they danced they talked, fluidly and and easily. Kat found herself wishing that the song went on longer as its final chords played.

Instead, she thanked Lilac for the dance and moved on to the next girl. She knew it would be impolite to spend too much time with one girl, so she floated around the room, making sure to dance with all of the girls. About halfway through the girls, she stopped and took a break to eat some of the delicious food before returning to dancing. After she had finished dining on a particularly scrumptious scone she turned around and was surprised to see Cameo standing right in front of her in her handsome suit.

"Could I have the next dance, princess?" Cameo asked with a raised eyebrow, extending her hand.

Kat smiled, taking her hand. "I'd love that."

Whilst all of her dances had been quite good, this one was different. Kat had been leading all of the prior waltzes, but it was clear from the beginning of her time with Cameo that Cameo would be leading, and Kat loved that. She found that Cameo was quite the good dancing partner as well. She was, as she had been with Lilac, disappointed when their dance was over, and she could see Cameo felt the same.

After Kat had finished dancing with Cameo, she decided it was time for the part of the night she was most excited for. She had purchased a unique gift for each of the Selected girls, stacked in the corner in a pyramid shape, they were so out of the way that they looked like present decorations. Kat was pumped to unveil them. So after that dance with Cameo she headed towards the front of the room and asked the orchestra to stop playing. She clasped her hands together and grinned at the partygoers who turned to pay attention to her.

"Could all of the Selected come with me?" she called out. Her girls slowly began to flock towards her. She motioned for the orchestra to play music again so the other guests could continue to dance, but she noticed many of them had flocked to the food and were watching what was going on with the Selected. The camera crews Aledonna had called in were also zeroing in on Kat and the girls.

Kat led them over to the stack of presents and gestured to them a little awkwardly. "Merry Christmas. I individually selected one for each of you. You can get them yourself, but please don't tear through them or you could damage someone else's gift."

As soon as she said that, the girls dashed towards their presents. Some of them retained the poise Silvia had taught them, while others just dived for the gifts. The girls began to chatter with one another, finding their presents and opening them. Kat had tried to be thoughtful with the gifts, building off what she knew about the girls, but admittedly some of them had just ended up being typical jewelry.

"Oof!" Kat nearly fell over as a big impact collided with her. She turned towards where she'd been leapt into and realized that it was in fact Lilac, who had tackled her into a hug.

"Thank you so much! I love it, I love it, I love it!" the excited girl cheered. Kat had gotten her a short cocktail dress that was made out of a pride flag. After hugging Kat for a few seconds, Lilac seemed to realize that she wasn't exactly following Silvia's etiquette rules and stepped away from Kat rather awkwardly. Around them all the other girls were fawning over their own gifts, and Kat smiled. She'd gotten it right for all of them.

Another girl, Natsumi, tapped stepped towards Kat as soon as Lilac walked away. Kat didn't really have a good feel for Natsumi, only knowing her to be shy and a little awkward. The girl seemed interesting, for sure, but she also couldn't get that close to her. Kat hoped she'd open up more as the Selection progressed.

Natsumi smiled and began to talk in her quiet voice. "Thank you so much for your-"

She was cut off by a loud "OOF" and the sound of shattering glass. Lady Jennfyr had apparently tripped and crashed into Natsumi, spilling her red wine all over Natsumi's pretty green dress.

"O-Oh my god… oh my god, Natsumi, I'm so sorry!" Jennfyr apologized profusely, clearly very upset.

Natsumi froze, her brain seeming to try to process what had just happened, before tears blossomed in her eyes and she sprinted out of the ballroom, guests' eyes following her with interest. Kat looked back to Jennfyr, who seemed close to crying herself, her hand over her mouth in shock. Kat frowned, thinking for a second, before placing her hand on Jennfyr's shoulder and saying firmly, "It wasn't your fault, it was an accident."

She turned away from Jennfyr and headed towards the door Natsumi had ran out of, power walking through the other guests, knowing she had to find the crying girl and comfort her. However as she reached the door, Aledonna swooped in seemingly out of nowhere, frowning.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked sharply.

"Where do you think?" Kat frowned, impatient. "Lady Natsumi just ran out crying. I'm going after her."

"Not acceptable. There's a party full of guests here, the girl will be fine." Aledonna's hands rested upon her hips as she glared down at her daughter.

Kat shook her head. "I'm the _hostess_ , Mother, it's my job to make sure all of the Selected are feeling happy- and clearly, Natsumi is not."

"I don't care. Get back to the party," Aledonna said, pointing at the crowd.

Hanging her head, Kat walked back towards the girls, who were still by the gifts, idling awkwardly around. There was no arguing with Aledonna. Sighing, she looked through the girls for her next dancing partner, who she planned to be Nova. She quickly noticed that Lady Nova wasn't with the other girls, and a quick scan around the room failed to locate her as well. She walked up to Lady Lysa and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, have you seen Lady Nova?" Kat asked.

Lysa looked around then shook her head. "She was here a minute ago, but it looks like she slipped off. I'm not sure where. She's been acting really weird all day… loud. She was shy for a while, but now she's _so_... outgoing."

Kat frowned. "That's odd."

She walked away from Lysa with a quick goodbye and circled the ballroom once more. Nova was nowhere to be seen. She even asked a few of the other girls, all who said similar things to Lysa's account. There was simply no explanation for where the girl had gone. Kat was still caught up in finding Lady Nova when there was a shriek from the hallway, and her stomach dropped.

 _No_ , Kat thought, _No, not again. This can't happen again_.

Kat flew towards the noise, her body shaking. She flew out into the hall it had come from and she too let out a scream. Because it had happened again, but perhaps this time it was worse. She had only known Taliyah for a day. She hadn't gotten close to the girl. She hadn't gone on a date with the girl.

But she had with Lady Eyrie.

 **Sorry for how insanely late this is. I know there's no really good excuse but here are a few anyways.**

 **-Finals week**

 **-Generally not too great grades**

 **-Mental illness**

 **-Dance team**

 **-Acceptance onto a gigantic Minecraft server's staff team (I know this sounds dorky but it is very time consuming)**

 **-Friendship drama**

 **-General lack of motivation**

 **-This chapter is much longer than my others, over two times (and chapters usually take a month to complete, so uh, mathematically this seems around right for my update schedule if I hadn't put so much pressure on myself with Christmas)**

 **-And also very packed with important plot points**

 **Thank you to everyone who was supportive in the reviews.**


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